Flexible work arrangement key to helping families share caregiving responsibilities, empower women to thrive at work
Increasing subsidies could unintentionally make having children more financially attractive, which might lead to fewer women continuing their careers and lower workforce participation.
SHAH ALAM - When it comes to caregiving, a flexible work arrangement would allow families to share household responsibilities, enabling everyone to manage and succeed in their careers.
This would ultimately benefit women in the workplace, providing them with greater opportunities to thrive professionally while balancing family commitments.
Economist Professor Geoffrey Williams said equal treatment in the workforce was crucial, as flexible working arrangements should be accessible to all employees, not only to working women.
"If women have this flexibility but men do not, then employers will choose to hire men over women because it will be easier to manage their time," he told Sinar Daily.
Williams also highlighted that increasing subsidies could unintentionally make childbearing appealing financially.
This, he said could in turn, discourage women from continuing with their careers and reduce their participation in the workforce.
He argued that achieving gender equality in the workplace required equal employment terms for both men and women.
He said this could involve either extending all the benefits available to women, such as offering men 98 days of paid parental leave, or eliminating any discriminatory benefits for women in favour of providing universal support to all employees.
Williams also pointed out that as long as women faced different terms and conditions, employers may hesitate to hire them, perceiving it as more expensive from an economic standpoint.
"Discriminatory benefits available only to women are harming women's participation in the labour force and should be removed," he added.
Meanwhile, LeadWomen’s Client and Consulting Services manager Liza Liew said flexible working hours were important not just for women but for everyone.
Liew highlighted that the existing Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) policy represented a positive initial step, but the primary challenge lies in the mindset of certain employers who associate flexible working hours with reduced productivity and commitment.
She said flexible working arrangements should not come at the expense of business outcomes or performance, emphasising the importance of establishing a two-way agreement between employers and employees regarding expectations.
"Flexibility provides the woman the choice to manage their time between work and family obligation, without the stress of having to choose one over the other, which happens in most cases in Malaysia," she said when contacted.
Liew said in 2016, a Khazanah Research study found that 70 per cent of women cited unpaid and unequal care responsibilities as their main reason for leaving formal employment.
She said the potential to eliminate the "caregiver penalty" which referred to the economic and social disadvantages experienced by individuals providing care.
"If flexible work arrangements and comprehensive care support are provided, women will be better positioned to progress in their careers,"she added.
Economist Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi said while flexible work hours should be encouraged, they were often limited to certain types of work.
He proposed that private sector employers be granted tax incentives for costs incurred in providing or contributing to employees' childcare.
"Civil society or non profit can be allocated grants for training or certification and even a part of operations," he said.
