KUCHING: Only half of the women population in Sarawak are in the labour force as many of them remain as homemakers, actively contributing to building strong families and caring for children at home.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said based on the latest statistics, women make up 49 per cent of Sarawak’s 2.47 million population.
However, Sarawak’s female labour force participation rate stands at 51.2 per cent (half of the total women population) while male labour force participation rate is 81.4 per cent.
“Most of the women or mothers have to manage their family, house chores, take care of the children at home, and thus are unable to work. But, I am confident this will change as more companies adopt technology and processes become more digitalised.
“More women, who were traditionally homemakers, can now explore the option of working from home, enabling them to both care for their families, while developing their professional careers. This is already a trend in developed countries,” he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also the Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Sarawak Women of Tomorrow 2023 Bootcamp (SWOT 2023) held here last night (June 12).
The Sarawak government, he said, is committed to encouraging more women to participate actively in the labour force.
As such, the government has established nurseries and kindergartens, such as SeDidik, to ensure that working mothers in Sarawak can send their children for high-quality preschool education, while they pursue their careers.
“Hence, under PCDS 2030, we are capitalising on digital technology to benefit from the skills and advantages that women bring to the workplace, particularly in leadership positions.
“I am also proud to say that the government has provided equal opportunities for women to raise the ranks of the Sarawak Civil Service and government linked-companies. Out of 12 ministries’ permanent secretary positions, four or 33 per cent are held by women,” he said.
The Sarawak government is committed to developing and empowering women, particularly in leadership positions and to groom more outstanding women to add to Sarawak’s list of talented, high-achieving women, across all sectors.
He said among the Sarawakian women who have made their mark at the international stage included the highly esteemed academician and Commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) Datuk Madeline Berma; renowned fashion designer Datuk Tom Abang Saufi; diving queen and Olympiad Datuk Pandelela Rinong; Her Excellency Mdm Fenny Nuli, Malaysian Ambassador to Peru; the first female country chair of Shell Malaysia Siti Hurrairah Sulaiman; singer-songwriter who sings in the endangered languages of Kelabit and Kenyah, Alena Murang and many more.
“We want to ensure that Sarawakian women have equal opportunities to develop their talent and truly achieve their fullest potential.
Awang Tengah assured that the Sarawak government will continue its programmes for women empowerment. As of 2022, the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development has trained 305 women leaders of NGOs throughout Sarawak under the Women Leadership Programme.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Mohamad Razi Sitam, Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd vice president Oliver Liu, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Noriah Ahmad, and Women Leadership Foundation chairperson Datuk Hafsah Hashim.
