Malaysian women have made progress in workforce participation and career advancement over the years, but experts believe a gap remains between the opportunities available to them and their ability to fully benefit from them.
They think women’s empowerment should not be measured solely by their labour force participation rate but also by the quality of jobs they hold, their access to leadership positions and their ability to control their income and make independent financial decisions.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) recorded a female labour force participation rate of 56.6 percent, compared with 83.3 percent for men, in the fourth quarter of 2025, indicating considerable room for improvement in women’s economic participation.
