Nancy said while 42% of women participate in decision-making roles within the public service, the private sector “hasn’t reached this level yet”.

Last May, she told the Dewan Rakyat a Securities Commission study found that the percentage of women holding board of directors’ positions stood at 29.7%.

By comparison, she said, the figure was only 14% in 2016.

“This is what we are working on … to ensure the private sector can have at least 30% women on their board of directors,” she said at a town hall programme organised by Sinar Harian here today.

“There are plenty of qualified women to fill the positions.”

She said the 30% figure is not a minimum quota set by the ministry, but a target to be reached instead.

On a separate matter, Nancy urged persons with disabilities (OKU) to register with the ministry’s welfare department as it would help the government improve the coordination of its initiatives for the community.

She said many disabled people were unaware of the initiatives they were eligible to receive.

Nancy previously said people registered as OKU could enjoy nearly 30 facilities and privileges provided by the public and private sectors.

Last December, youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh said 685,602 people were registered as OKU, a low figure compared with the country’s population of over 33 million.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.