KUALA LUMPUR – There is a need to establish a payment system for housewives to acknowledge their contributions and sacrifices in managing households, said Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
Referring to housewives as “unpaid labour”, she noted that many of them were not financially supported by their husbands.
She said this mechanism would also serve as a method to empower women economically.
“We hope the government, possibly through the Social Security Organisation, can find a mechanism to compensate for this unpaid labour.
“It goes beyond simply calculating household chores. There are husbands who still don’t provide their wives financial support,” she said when appearing as a guest on the Selamat Pagi Malaysia programme on RTM today.
To boost women’s participation in the workforce, Nancy said employers have a vital role in motivating the group to join their organisations.
“Due to the greater loyalty displayed by most women towards an organisation, it is essential to have women (as employees) to ensure the smooth and effective functioning of the organisation.
“With a higher number of women, there is an increased presence of loyalty within an organisation. This allows employers to plan more extensively and support their economy in a more organised manner,” she added. – Bernama, August 15, 2023