MALAYSIA risks stifling its green transition unless it urgently breaks down the systemic barriers keeping millions of qualified women out of the workforce and places them in key decision-making roles.
Speaking at the closing of the 7th International Sustainable Energy Summit 2026, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri highlighted that the nation possesses a vast reservoir of underutilised female talent that must be integrated into shaping future policies, investments, and technologies.
She observed that high academic achievement among Malaysian women is failing to translate into proportional economic involvement, particularly within technical and clean energy sectors.
"In 2025, Malaysia’s female labour force participation rate stood at 56.6%, compared with 83.3% for men. Of the 7.03 million people outside the labour force, 4.89 million, or 69.5%, are women.
"Among them, 42.8% cited housework and family responsibilities as the main reason for remaining outside the workforce. These figures tell us that talent is not the problem.
"The issue is whether women have the opportunity, support and space to put that talent to work," Bernama reported her sayiing.
Data from the Asean Energy Database System indicates that women make up 15.7% of graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction across Malaysia. However, Minister Nancy noted that strong educational attainment has not automatically generated equal economic participation, pointing to the need for targeted, inclusive policy interventions across the energy sector.
To address these disparities, she called for Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion principles to be embedded into policy formulation, executive leadership, and governance frameworks across all sectors.
"The energy transition is not only about systems, targets and new technologies. Ultimately, it is about improving our people – how they live, work and build their future.
"The aspiration is that women should not be seen only as beneficiaries of the energy transition; women must also help shape it. That means having women at the table where policies are designed, investments are decided, technologies are developed and industries are led," she said. - August 13, 2026
