Women should be considered equal to men in developing the nation - Tun Mahathir

PUTRAJAYA - Women’s position in society should be considered equal to that of men because they also play a crucial role in developing the country, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

He said women today possess the same capabilities as men and are capable of competing with men in various fields.

"In this day and age, we recognise women’s abilities and we give them opportunities. We need to consider women as equals to men,” he said when appearing as a panelist in the Minggu Negarawan programme themed ‘Women Amidst Political Challenges’ here today.

He said there are still Islamic countries that place women in secondary positions and who believe that the role of women is limited to household matters and childbirth.

Dr Mahathir said this was not the case in Malaysia where in the early days of administration, a woman (Social Welfare Minister Tun Fatimah Hashim) was already made minister.

"We had already recognised women's capabilities much earlier. At that time, we found that not many women played significant roles in politics,” he said. - BERNAMA