PUTRAJAYA has made it compulsory for public listed companies to appoint at least one female director starting September 1, 2022, to increase women representation in the workforce, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said.

Currently, he said that women only represent 25% across the board of directors among the top 100 public companies, adding there are 27% or 252 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia that do not have a female on its board of directors.

“Women, if given the opportunity and space, can be the main driving force of the country’s productivity and economy,” Tengku Zafrul said when tabling Budget 2022.

“The contribution of women in the economy has never been denied but needs to be strengthened.”

Currently, females only represent 38% of the formal workforce.

The government allocated RM5 million to the Women’s Leadership Foundation to boost women’s participation in the economic sector through, among others, young leadership training and entrepreneurship programmes.

To help women entrepreneurs who are also affected by Covid-19 as well as to increase their business capacity, Putrajaya allocated RM230 million provided through the Dananita Program under Mara and Tekunita under Tekun.

The government will also implement the MyKasih Kapital Programme to encourage women to generate income from home.

“Incentives in basic business capital assistance will be provided in addition to mentoring programmes to promote online business. Some 5,000 participants including 2,000 single mothers will benefit from the programme,” Tengku Zafrul said.

Tengku Zafrul also said RM30 million will be allocated to provide nursery facilities in Government buildings, especially in public hospitals and universities, to improve the existing support system for working mothers.

“The government also encourages private sector employers to make flexible work arrangements as well as provide nursery facilities in the office. For that, apart from tax incentives, the Government will also amend the guidelines to allow nurseries to operate on levels above the 1st floor of the office,” he said.

“In recognition of employed women who manage their children during working hours, the Government intends to extend the individual income tax relief of up to RM3,000 for the payment of nursery and kindergarten fees until the year of assessment 2023,” he said.

Combating domestic violence

To combat domestic violence cases which saw an increase during the pandemic, RM13 million will be allocated to empower the special police unit overseeing sexual crimes against women and children.

In addition, community awareness programmes on violence against women nationwide through the Waja Squad will be continued under the women’s ministry.

The government will also increase social support centres for domestic violence victims.

The pandemic and consequent lockdowns have contributed to a rise in global domestic violence, with women and children being the main victims, surveys have shown.

In September, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry revealed in the Dewan Rakyat that 9,015 cases of domestic violence were reported since the movement control order was first enforced in March 2020.

Tengku Zafrul also announced that the Malaysian Population and Family Development Board in collaboration with the Malaysian Prisons Department will distribute free basic personal hygiene kits every month to 130,000 B40 girls.

In addition, reproductive health campaigns and education will also continue to be conducted in schools in collaboration with NGOs.

“The health and personal hygiene aspects of adolescent girls are very important in reducing any health risks and dropping out of school.”

Furthermore, in relation to the women’s health segment, a total of more than RM11 million will be provided as a subsidy for mammogram tests for high-risk women and to perform cervical cancer screening tests for women. – October 29, 2021.