[VIDEO] Breaking Down the Issues: Why the motherhood wage gap is bad for us all

THE world over, once a woman gives birth, she experiences a fall in pay. The more children she has, the further her pay falls. This is called the motherhood wage gap. 

Education cannot explain these differences. What can, however, are gender differences in occupation and industry of employment, as well as the socialisation of women over decades to take on a secondary role whilst supporting their husbands as they climb the career ladder. 

As a result, women are underrepresented in high-profile jobs, with global statistics showing that only 19% of firms have a female manager.

So, this month, Breaking Down the Issues devotes its episode to International Women’s Day by looking at the gender wage gap in Malaysia.  

Data from the World Economic Forum 2021 shows that Malaysia has done well in closing wage inequality, ranking 20 out of 154 countries for equal wage for similar work. 

Nevertheless, women are still over-represented in lower paying jobs, and under-represented in senior and management roles. 

We speak to Tan Sri Siti Sa’diah, former managing director of KPJ Healthcare Bhd, about the support she had from home and work as she climbed the career ladder. She went from managing one hospital to twenty-eight hospitals in Malaysia as well as a few more in other parts of the world by the time she retired.  

Liza Liew, our guest speaker from Leadwomen, further highlights efforts by the government to increase female representation in senior leadership and boards of corporate Malaysia. 

Closing the motherhood wage gap can not only help women achieve economic security, it can add US$50 billion to the Malaysian economy. This makes raising female retention over the period of childbirth a national interest. 

This project is brought to you by advocacy and research group Sekhar Institute together with the Good Capitalism Forum, which promotes social capitalism, and Malaysia’s hottest news portal, The Vibes. – The Vibes, March 27, 2022