Women now hold nearly 40% of top public sector roles in Malaysia, with significant gains also seen on corporate boards, as government policies drive gender parity.
KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s representation in Malaysia’s top public sector management has reached 39.4% as of December 2025.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this marks notable progress in narrowing the country’s gender gap.
She revealed the statistic when winding up debate in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“Key positions that were once pioneered and held solely by men are no longer unfamiliar to women, such as the posts of Auditor-General, Chief Justice, Director-General of Customs, mayor and others,” she said.
Nancy attributed the achievement to a long-term government policy introduced in 2004.
That policy set a target of at least 30% women’s participation at decision-making levels in the public sector.
The policy was expanded in 2011 to include the same target for the private sector.
Progress there is also evident, with women holding 33.1% of board seats in Bursa Malaysia’s top 100 listed companies as of April 2025.
This figure has risen sharply from just 14% in 2015.
“Based on these statistics, it can be concluded that significant progress has been achieved,” Nancy said.
She acknowledged that women’s participation in politics remains a challenge.
Her ministry has implemented various initiatives to improve representation at the highest leadership levels.
Throughout 2025, the Women Development Department allocated RM11.5 million for women empowerment and leadership programmes.
A key initiative is the Women Leadership Apprenticeship Programme (PERANTIS).
It aims to enhance the potential of talented women eligible for high positions in any sector.
In 2024, the programme mentored 1,247 participants under 25 figures across 10 fields.
It was expanded significantly last year to involve 100 women figures and 4,035 participants.
The PERANTIS programme will continue this year.
Parties interested in the women-in-politics category are encouraged to apply via the JPW portal before February 28.
