Quality infrastructure needed to enable more women into workforce - Expert

SHAH ALAM - Quality infrastructure is crucial to bring more women into the workforce.

Women's Aid Organisation capacity building officer Adelina Zulkifli said relevant authorities should set up more childcare centres at the workplace to ease the burden of women who are also mothers.

"Childcare is one of the main barriers why women are unable to continue with their studies and re-enter (workforce) after giving birth.

"We need to provide more childcare centres and if a company provides such centres, it would be great.

"There has to be an immediate action taken to tackle the issue because we are losing out on so many talents as people are staying at home and not being able to enter the workforce," she said during Sinar Daily's Wacana programme entitled “Malaysia 2022: Braving Chaos and Disaster”, last night.

Adelina also said more reputable quality standard of childcare centres were needed because there were many reports on cases in which children lost their lives and sustained injuries especially at centres which were found to be operating without licence.

She also stressed that unpaid labours or housewives needed to be recognised as they contributed to the stability of a household and economy as well.