PETALING JAYA: Despite many improvements, women still carry a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work and face violence, discrimination and barriers in economic participation.
To overcome this, there is a need to move beyond symbolic commitments and have genuine structural change, say women’s groups.
Political will, stronger laws and policies that protect women’s rights are needed, said Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Nazreen Nizam.
There is also a need for real investment in support systems like childcare and social protection, she said ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow.
“IWD should be a reminder that gender equality is not just a women’s issue – it is fundamental to building a just and inclusive society.
“Despite the role of women in families, communities and the nation, their contributions are often undervalued,” she said.
“We must create conditions where women can participate fully and safely – through equal access to education and employment, fair wages, supportive workplace policies and shared responsibility within households.”
Nazreen also said many women still struggle with economic insecurity, limited representation in leadership and expectations of shouldering the bulk of caregiving duties.
Association of Women Lawyers president Jasmine Wong hopes to see continued momentum in recognising that women’s participation is essential to a resilient and forward-looking society.
“This means not only increasing representation in leadership and decision-making spaces, but also strengthening policies and institutional support,” she said.
Wong said for women to participate more fully in public life, it is equally important for men to play a greater and more active role in the family.
Shared caregiving and household responsibilities let women pursue opportunities in the workforce, leadership and community life without being disproportionately burdened, she said.
“One of the greatest challenges remains structural barriers that limit women’s advancement and full participation in leadership and decision-making roles.
“While progress has been made, women are still underrepresented in many sectors, including politics, corporate leadership, and key policy-shaping spaces,” she said.
All Women’s Action Society (Awam) president Ho Yock Lin said Malaysia’s labour force participation rate for women is 56.2%, while for men it is 82.3%.
It is therefore important to do more to eliminate the persistent structural barriers standing in their way, she noted.
“Insufficient laws, unaddressed discriminatory practices, gender pay gaps and so on keep women marginalised.
“A lot of these challenges come from deep-rooted gender roles and expectations. They also face a double burden where they are expected to take on most caregiving and household responsibilities, while also building careers.
“At the same time, they face barriers at work and in leadership, including bias in hiring, promotions, and pay,” she said.
Ho called for stronger commitment from the government in creating real opportunities, including setting clear gender targets or quotas for leadership positions, strengthening corporate governance requirements on gender diversity, and enforcing transparent reporting on gender representation and pay gaps.
Companies, she added, should be required to develop leadership pipelines that actively support women’s promotion to top decision-making roles, and introduce legislation that mandates a minimum quota of women candidates in elections.
The IWD, celebrated annually on March 8, honours the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women while advocating for gender equality.
