Monash University Malaysia economist Niaz Asadullah cited occupational segregation and social stereotypes about women as the root cause of such disparity.
For instance, he said, women have been forced to accept jobs supposedly compatible with their social roles even though the pay is lower.
“My own research shows that local curriculum textbooks don’t do enough to educate adolescents about gender equality at work,” he told FMT Business.
“For instance, the Form 4 English textbook shows an unusually high (85%) female representation in domestic or informal roles compared to male representation.”
Niaz said unequal compensation for women would also mean lower Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings for them, leading to a higher incidence of old-age poverty among women.
He pointed out that non-functional gender employment policies have been key to the slow progress in achieving gender equality in the workforce.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have an equal employment opportunity legislation, let alone a comprehensive pay equity law,” he said.
“(In) official documents such as the 12th Malaysia Plan, (we) claim to remain committed to gender equality, but the reality is that we’ve yet to approve the Gender Equality Act drafted several years ago.”