Kesejahteraan Sosial

01 FAMILY SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT AND WORKPLACE WELL-BEING 3 nature of work, ultimately creating an inclusive and supportive work environment. 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Women constitute nearly of Malaysia’s population (approximately 11.4 million) and represents a comparable proportion of the national total labour force. The female labour force participation rate rose markedly from 30.8% in 1957 (Economic Planning Unit, 2006-2010) to 55.3% in 2020 (Economic Planning Unit, 2021-2025), driven by multiple socio-economic factors. The New Economic Policy, introduced in 1969 to eradicate poverty, had transformed Malaysian society from an agrarian-based economy into an industrialised one. Historically, even before the colonial era, Malaysian women were actively involved in economic activities, working alongside men in agriculture and trade. However, colonialism shifted labour dynamics by assigning women primarily to domestic roles. The wave of industrialisation in the 1970s significantly changed the labour landscape, leading to urban migration and increase the number of dual-income families due to the escalating living costs. The increasing participation of women in the labour force underscores the need to examine the implication of their dual roles on mental health and overall well-being. Despite improvements in the socio-economic status of dual- earner families, juggling work and family responsibilities continues to pose challenges for Malaysian working women, particularly in relation to childcare. These include limited childcare support, coordination of children’s extracurricular activities, school transportation, and complex scheduling demands (Stivens, 2020). These work-to-family and family- to-work conflicts have been found to adversely affect job and family satisfaction (Rahman, Ali, Jantan, Mansor, & Rahaman, 2020; Aazami, Akmal, & Shamsuddin, 2015). The findings indicate that the landscape of work-family policies in Malaysia has evolved, yet significant gaps still remain. Existing provisions such as maternity leave and flexible working arrangements are inadequate to address the specific challenges faced by Malaysian working women, including limited childcare support, inadequate parental leave, and restricted access to flexible working hours (Noor & Mahudin, 2016). Additionally, the traditional gender roles continue to place a disproportionate burden on women particularly in managing work and family responsibilities.