20. August 2006
Malaysian Women's Views on Progress: A Study
What are the dreams and goals of Malaysian women? How do they see themselves? What are their priorities in life? Who are their role models? How do they perceive women leaders?
These are the questions that the Women for Progress Research Unit of the International Islamic University Malaysia sought to answer in their study : “Malay Women’s Perception of Progress.
Malaysia’s Independence in 1957 has paved the way for women to gain access to education and consequently to their participation in the labor market. Currently 48% of 11.4 million women are in the working age population of 15-64 years where they represent a third of the overall labor force participation in Malaysia (Eighth Malaysian Plan, 2001-2005). The majority of women work in traditionally female jobs such as nursing, midwifery and teaching or are employed in the service and manufacturing sectors. The number of those who entered male-dominated professions (medicine, architecture, accounting, and engineering) is still small, though growing rapidly. Most women remain clustered in the middle or lower ranks of their profession and are usually alienated from administrative and managerial positions, which are more demanding, requiring more mobility and physical prowess. Despite the obstacle in gaining high positions in the workforce, the number of women employed has increased significantly since Independence and many are also active in the wider socio-political area.
This increase in the number of employed women indicates that they have progressed over the years. However, studies have yet to be carried out to examine how these women, particularly the Malays, perceive progress. The present study focused only on the Malays because they form the biggest ethnic group in Malaysia (the percentages of Malays, Chinese and Indians are about 50.8, 26.3 and 7.5, respectively; Social Statistics Bulletin, 2000).
Full report can be downloaded here.
Our thanks to Dr. Noraini Mohd Noor for allowing us to share their findings.
Filedownload
Malaysia_Women_Progress_Report.doc