PETALING JAYA: Although the government continuously promotes initiatives and incentives to reintegrate women into the workforce, the lack of flexibility from employers remains a significant drawback.
Long and rigid working hours as well as discrimination related to pregnancy such as job redundancy, denial of promotions, extended probation, or even termination, force many young mothers to leave the workforce and become stay-at-home parents.
All Women’s Action Society (Awam) assistant advocacy officer Alyssa Pong Le Ann emphasised the urgent need for workplace reforms, urging employers to address these challenges and provide greater flexibility.
“While awareness of reintegrating women into the workforce is growing with strong support from the government, many Malaysian companies still cling to outdated work models.
“Employers should implement hybrid work options, flexible hours and childcare support to ensure that mothers can participate in the workforce without sacrificing their family responsibilities,” she added.
Failing to address these issues affects working mothers and impacts workplace productivity and employee retention, Pong said.
“When employees experience constant burnout and struggle with personal responsibilities, their job performance declines. Companies that adapt and offer flexibility will ultimately benefit from a happier, more productive workforce.”
Citing a report in 2023, Pong highlighted that the lack of workplace flexibility is a major factor contributing to Malaysia’s low employment rate of just 55.59% among prime-age women with children under six, in contrast to Vietnam, which has the highest employment rate in Asean countries at 86.74%.
“This figure of 55.59% has seen very little movement in the last decade. Another study found that nearly all the female respondents believe that requesting or taking advantage of flexible work opportunities will negatively impact their chances of promotion,”she added.
Pong said as a result, women are often compelled to seek informal employment, gig work, or other precarious jobs in order to support their families, where they lack access to social protections and are paid lower wages.
Stay-at-home mother Hemalatha Kannan, 37, gave up her high-paying job to care for her newborn after experiencing unfair treatment from her employer upon returning from maternity leave.
“My son experienced health complications after birth, which required me to take extended leave. I also requested to work from home, as my job can be done remotely. However, my employer did not respond positively to this request.
“The Human Resources Department justified its decision by stating that accommodating my request would be unfair to other employees.
“After months of trying to adjust to the situation, I decided to quit my job to fully care for my son.”
Another private sector employee, who requested anonymity, shared her concerns about her current work situation.
Living in Seremban and commuting to Kuala Lumpur daily, she spends four hours travelling, in addition to her nine-hour workday, leaving her with limited time to spend with her two children.
She said caring for her seven-year-old autistic daughter has become increasingly difficult due to her demanding work schedule.
While her husband works from home and takes care of the children, she struggles with guilt and exhaustion from being away for most of the day.
“It’s mentally and physically draining to work all day, and then navigate the horrendous traffic in Kuala Lumpur. By the time I get home, all I want to do is sleep,” she said.
