He said the reality now is that it is more accepted and no longer out of the ordinary for men to be full-time homemakers.
“My question is, why didn’t the ministry extend the definition of ‘housewives’ to also include men who have become full-time homemakers?” he said during a debate for the second reading of the bill.
He said currently, the definition of “housewives” under Clause 3 of the bill only referred to women, whether married or not, who manage the household whether on a full-time basis or otherwise, including wives, widows, mothers, as well as single mothers.
He said that it was not unusual now for a woman to earn more than her husband, or be the sole breadwinner, especially with many men having lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that there are also cases of career women who provide their husbands an allowance of RM2,000 per month to care for their children and household.
Salim said that the ministry should also consider such situations so that men who become stay-at-home fathers today are not discriminated against and afforded equal protection.
Meanwhile, Kasthuri Patto (PH-Batu Kawan) also asked if men who are single fathers and widowers would be afforded the same protection under the scheme, citing Article 8 of the Federal Constitution on equality before the law and equal protection from the law.
“What is the safety net for them? Shouldn’t their interest also be protected?” she asked.
Under the Housewife Social Safety Scheme (SKSSR), a husband is only allowed to pay contributions for his wife if he chooses to do so and he needs to inform the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
Last year, the government announced that the SKSSR scheme, aimed to provide a social security net for housewives and stay-at-home fathers by offering disability and invalidity protection, survivor’s pension, and regular attendance allowance.
Facilities for physical or vocational rehabilitation and funeral benefits were also promised under the proposed SKSSR. The scheme, if implemented, would cover three million people in the country.
Under the plan, those signing up would have to contribute RM10 a month, which can be made in advance for a period of twelve months.