Malaysia accelerates gender parity push with launch of WIN Wanita MyWira Cohort 2025

SHAH ALAM – TalentCorp Malaysia has launched the Women-Industry Network (WIN) Wanita MyWira Cohort 2025 to support the country’s efforts to reduce gender gaps in the workforce, particularly in technical and emerging industries. The launch was held on November 29 at IDCC Shah Alam.

Malaysia continues to struggle with low female participation in sectors such as engineering, data science, and green technology, despite women accounting for over 60 per cent of tertiary graduates.

Programmes such as WIN are positioned as part of wider national efforts to ensure women are prepared to participate fully in the country’s transition toward a digital and green economy.

The Female Labour Force Participation Rate stands at 56.5 per cent in 2024, short of the 60 per cent target under the 13th Malaysia Plan and the Ekonomi Madani agenda.

Barriers including limited mentorship access, limited workplace flexibility, cultural expectations and a lack of female representation in leadership have slowed progress.

Women occupy 33.1 per cent of board seats in public-listed companies, while gaps are more significant in rural and low-income settings.

WIN, established in 2021, seeks to strengthen the female talent pipeline by offering mentorship, skills development, and leadership exposure.

The initiative supports national and global frameworks such as the Dasar Wanita Negara, the MyMahir upskilling platform, the World Economic Forum Gender Parity Accelerator and the Women’s Empowerment Principles Corporate Action Lab.

The Wanita MyWira Cohort 2025 is WIN’s 11th and most technical cohort, involving 300 mentees aged 18 to 25 from 25 universities and vocational institutions.

Over five weeks, from Nov 1 to 29, mentees engaged in a hybrid mentoring programme led by 41 professionals across 10 high-demand sectors.

Girls for Girls Malaysia served as the mentorship partner, with sponsorship from Paragon Group.

Training focused on leadership, communication, negotiation, public service and ethical decision-making through group sessions, role-play exercises and case studies.

Participants came from fields including artificial intelligence, green technology, engineering, data science and applied sciences.

Training focused on leadership, communication, negotiation, public service and ethical decision-making through group sessions, role-play exercises and case studies.

Among the mentors and guest speakers were:

• Foreign Affairs Ministry Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Astanah Abdul Aziz;
• Kluang MP and TalentCorp Chairperson Wong Shu Qi;
• Corporate & Government Affairs for Aasean and New Markets at Microsoft and TalentCorp Board Member Dr Jasmine Begum;
• Director of Legal, CTOS Chief Operating Officer Lee Shin Mei;
• Bank Negara Malaysia Senior Manager Tatiana Choy;
• Former Ambition Malaysia Managing Director Bong Siew Yong;
• KPJ Healthcare Bhd Head of Group Marketing Aina Nadzir.

Mentors shared guidance on overcoming imposter syndrome, communicating effectively, handling setbacks, negotiating salaries and leading with integrity and empathy.

Malaysia’s gender wage gap has narrowed, falling from about RM200 in 2023 to RM18 in 2025, but analysts caution that deeper structural reforms remain necessary.

Programmes such as WIN are positioned as part of wider national efforts to ensure women are prepared to participate fully in the country’s transition toward a digital and green economy.