PETALING JAYA: The lack of a supportive ecosystem for women is a reason for the country's lower birth rates, said Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah.
Mohd Shahar (BN-Paya Besar), who is Backbenchers Club chairman, said that women's agenda and a gender responsive economy are core issues towards sustainable development.
"The reality is that Malaysian women dominate in higher education yet their average participation in the workforce remains at 56.5%.
"It is a systemic barrier where you hear terms such as ‘sticky floor’ or ‘glass ceilings’ being described," he said when debating the motion of thanks on Budget 2026 in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 13).
In comparison, men's participation in the nation's workforce is over 80% owing to factors such as traditional gender roles, caregiving responsibilities and limited support systems.
Shahar noted that the absence of proper support for women has forced many to quit their jobs due to home care responsibilities.|
"The lack of a support ecosystem for women is one of the main contributors of lower birth rates in the country," he added.
In August, the Department of Statistics Malaysia's (DOSM) demographic report showed that live births in Malaysia fell by 7.1% to 93,435 in the second quarter of this year compared to 100,558 during the same period last year.
Shahar suggested that Budget 2026 must be gender responsive in its implementation.
He said this includes setting up a national grant to recognise women as a component of the nation's economy.
"Also, a further extension of tax exemption should be given to women returning to work.
"This includes paid paternity leave of up to 14 days in all sectors to reflect our commitment towards family responsibility," he added.
Shahar, who is also Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) special bi-partisan committee on corruption chairman, said that more must be done to combat corruption.
"I agree with the statement by the MACC chief commissioner that the government must be stern against corruption while upholding integrity.
"The nation lost some RM272bil over the past five years due to corruption.
"For a nation with a population of only 34 million, that is a very high and worrying amount," he said.
He lauded the effort of enforcement agencies in plugging leakages due to corruption, which had saved the government some RM15.5bil in the past two years.
He said the RM700mil allocation for equipment and training of enforcement agencies personnel reflects the government's commitment in its fight against graft.
During his debate, Shahar took a swipe at Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) for presenting an opposition budget which was not supported by facts or how the budget would be funded.
Among them was the proposed Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) of up to RM6,000 per year for households in need, giving recipients the freedom to decide how to spend their aid.
Hamzah also said that Perikatan would make education free under its budget.
Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) said that there are 3.6 million B40 households, and the allocation needed for the purpose would amount to RM21.6bil.
Chong added that free education including scholarships would amount to RM3.6bil annually.
He questioned how this would be achieved as no proper explanation was given by Hamzah.
