The wage disparity that exists between Malaysian working women and their male colleagues is growing.
According to Dhanya Shekhar, the advocacy leader for the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), there are multiple variables that contribute to this problem. She listed cultural expectations that place women in the role of primary carers as well as presumptions that women are less assertive than males when it comes to wage negotiations as the contributing reasons.
Shekhar explained that addressing these concerns necessitates a comprehensive approach that encompasses creating new laws, modifying cultural standards, and promoting moral employee bargaining practices.
According to the recently announced Malaysian Gender Gap Index for 2022, the gender pay gap has significantly widened since 2020, when women received just RM66.67 (US$14.39) in wages and salaries for every RM100 (US$21.58) that men received.
In 2022, women were predicted to earn RM 42,080 (US$9,079.73) annually, while males were expected to earn RM 63,117 (US$13,618.95) annually.
Opponents like Simraatraj Kaur, the head of Bait Al Amanah Social Policy and Human Rights, have blamed the COVID-19 epidemic for making the wage gap between 2021 and 2022 wider. This is mainly because of the increased care obligations, difficulties associated with working remotely, and disruptions to professional advancement. All Women’s Action Society (Awam), another critic, emphasised the significance of women retraining and relearning soft skills, particularly if they were employed in white-collar jobs.
The various parties’ responses have recommended expanding the use of flexible work schedules, enacting pay equity laws to ensure equal compensation for equal labour, and tackling the pay disparities experienced by women as a means of encouraging them to enter the workforce. They went on to say that if these problems in Malaysia’s workforce are not addressed, there will be serious repercussions for the country’s economy as a whole, including reduced purchasing power, slower economic growth, restricted access to reasonably priced healthcare after retirement, and insufficient money for basic needs, according to Free Malaysia Today.
