Themed “Women and Nation-Building: The Foundation for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” the annual forum gathered policymakers, activists, academics, and industry leaders to chart pathways toward gender equality in Malaysia.
Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid urged men to support family-friendly policies, adding that family is a shared responsibility.
“So when we talk about childcare, maternity leave and so on, it should not just be women talking about it, the burden shouldn’t just be on us. We need the men to start talking as well.”
Anne Lasimbang, executive director of PACOS Trust, advocated grassroots leadership training for rural and indigenous women, while Pauline Ho of PwC Malaysia spoke about the business imperative of gender-equal policies like parental leave and flexible work arrangements.
Sean Augustin, chief news editor of Free Malaysia Today, underscored the responsibility of media outlets to practise fair reporting and reject narratives that perpetuate victim-blaming and gender stereotypes.
The forum also spotlighted legislative advocacy, with Latheefa Koya, co-founder of Lawyers for Liberty, calling for wage transparency laws, equal pay acts, and stronger legal protections against workplace discrimination.
The event concluded with Tehmina Kaoosji, the secretariat head, announcing that the six resolutions would be compiled into a report for submission to Malaysian ministries and parliamentary select committees.
The six resolutions announced at the forum are:
- Improve female representation and participation in politics and public life to ensure women have equal agency as men in deciding the policies that shape the country’s future.
- Address obstacles hampering women’s participation in nation-building by targeting structural, cultural and legal barriers like unequal parental leave, the burden of unpaid care work and poverty-driven child marriages.
- Develop female leaders in political, community and corporate spaces through intentional and sustained capacity-building.
- Apply an intersectional lens considering gender, persons with disabilities, ethnicity, age and class in policymaking.
- Encourage multiple sectors of society to continue advocating boldly against laws that perpetuate gender inequality and towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
- Normalise shared responsibilities between women and men in both private and public spheres, especially in performing care duties and pushing for gender-equitable policies.