National Council of Women’s Organisations president Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin said greater investment in the care economy is essential to maintain the participation of women in the workforce.
“Budget allocations should include funding for women entrepreneurs to start businesses in care industries targeted at the elderly, children and people with special needs,” she told FMT.
Sharifah also recommended grants to encourage the use of technology in care services, and incentives to train women, school leavers and unemployed youth as caregivers under accredited programmes.
She proposed the establishment of a caregiver council to regulate the industry, and suggested research grants for improved data collection and analysis to inform decision-making in the care economy.
Childcare
Both Sharifah and Omna Sreeni-Ong, founder and principal consultant of Engender Consultancy, agreed that tax exemptions are already in place to benefit those within the taxable income bracket.
However, Sreeni-Ong said the current system excludes many other women, particularly those in the gig economy and informal sectors, who cannot afford childcare.
“The government needs to have a plan for women in the gig economy and informal sectors who cannot afford childcare,” she said.
Noting the government’s financial constraints, she said all relevant stakeholders should engage in discussions to identify viable steps moving forward.
Women’s Aid Organisation research project manager Anis Farid echoed the need for more inclusive childcare support, advocating the transformation of the existing RM3,000 tax relief into an annual subsidy.
“This would support the childcare needs of all parents, particularly B40 families and single mothers,” said Anis.
She said unpaid care work often limits a woman’s career opportunities and called for tax incentives for women returning to work to continue.
Gender violence
Anis noted that Budget 2024 lacked specific allocations to address gender-based violence.
She suggested a RM30 million allocation to train the police force in how to better respond to gender-based violence, update response modules and implement comprehensive training.
She also called for the Social Workers’ Profession Bill to be expedited to address the shortage of social workers in the country.
She said the government should recruit and place qualified social workers with the social welfare department.
All three organisations are part of the Gender Budget Group that submitted a memorandum to the finance ministry following a roundtable discussion titled “Gender Lens on Budget 2025” on Aug 22.