KUALA LUMPUR: Women in rural areas are among the most marginallised people in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday. He said to help these women, the government had put in place skills-building schemes to raise their income-generating power.
"Taking a long-term perspective, we are focusing on education to create the necessary impetus to uplift rural Malaysia," he said, when opening the 2010 Women's Summit here.
He said the government aimed to create 4,000 entrepreneurs from among low-income women by 2012.
At the same time, the government would like to see more skilled women contribute towards a globally competitive economy.
"Our aim is to increase women's participation in the workforce to 55 per cent by 2015."
He said the International Labour Organisation had pointed out in 2008 that the number of working women had increased globally but fell into a category where they occupied low-productivity, lowly paid and vulnerable jobs with no social protection, basic rights or voice at work.
"The government has no desire to see Malaysian women fall into this category," he stressed.
Muhyiddin said there was also a need to strike a good work-life balance and the government was making changes with plans to introduce part-time work regulations under the Employment Act.
Emphasising the importance of women in the workforce, Muhyiddin said there had been a surge in the number of women occupying decision-making positions in the government.
Last year, women made up 28.8 per cent of senators, 10.4 per cent of the members of the Dewan Rakyat, and they account for 30.5 per cent of top public sector positions, he said.
However, he said, the number of women chief executive officers in companies did not reflect the capabilities and potential of women.
Malaysia ranked joint fifth -- together with China and Taiwan -- for having women holding 31 per cent of senior management positions in privately-held businesses; namely small-holdings, sole proprietorships and non-public listed companies.
"What I would like to stress to you today is that the beneficiaries of this transformation programme will be the people -- Malaysians -- both men and women, and there will be no discrimination, no gender barriers.
"Malaysian women are very much part of the equation," he said.
However, Muhyiddin said such measures and initiatives would not come to fruition without the right attitude, a readiness to embrace change and to surge forward in a brave new world powered by new methodologies.
Present at the annual summit were Muhyiddin's wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Singaporean Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Turkey Women Affairs Minister Selma Aliye Kavaf, Oman Social Development Minister Dr Sharifa Al Yahyaeah and Cambodian Secretary of State Kheng Samvada.
The summit was organised by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.
Read more: Government to take women 'higher' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/6gi/Article#ixzz17fUIPLX3
"Taking a long-term perspective, we are focusing on education to create the necessary impetus to uplift rural Malaysia," he said, when opening the 2010 Women's Summit here.
He said the government aimed to create 4,000 entrepreneurs from among low-income women by 2012.
At the same time, the government would like to see more skilled women contribute towards a globally competitive economy.
"Our aim is to increase women's participation in the workforce to 55 per cent by 2015."
He said the International Labour Organisation had pointed out in 2008 that the number of working women had increased globally but fell into a category where they occupied low-productivity, lowly paid and vulnerable jobs with no social protection, basic rights or voice at work.
"The government has no desire to see Malaysian women fall into this category," he stressed.
Muhyiddin said there was also a need to strike a good work-life balance and the government was making changes with plans to introduce part-time work regulations under the Employment Act.
Emphasising the importance of women in the workforce, Muhyiddin said there had been a surge in the number of women occupying decision-making positions in the government.
Last year, women made up 28.8 per cent of senators, 10.4 per cent of the members of the Dewan Rakyat, and they account for 30.5 per cent of top public sector positions, he said.
However, he said, the number of women chief executive officers in companies did not reflect the capabilities and potential of women.
Malaysia ranked joint fifth -- together with China and Taiwan -- for having women holding 31 per cent of senior management positions in privately-held businesses; namely small-holdings, sole proprietorships and non-public listed companies.
"What I would like to stress to you today is that the beneficiaries of this transformation programme will be the people -- Malaysians -- both men and women, and there will be no discrimination, no gender barriers.
"Malaysian women are very much part of the equation," he said.
However, Muhyiddin said such measures and initiatives would not come to fruition without the right attitude, a readiness to embrace change and to surge forward in a brave new world powered by new methodologies.
Present at the annual summit were Muhyiddin's wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Singaporean Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Turkey Women Affairs Minister Selma Aliye Kavaf, Oman Social Development Minister Dr Sharifa Al Yahyaeah and Cambodian Secretary of State Kheng Samvada.
The summit was organised by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.
Read more: Government to take women 'higher' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/6gi/Article#ixzz17fUIPLX3
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