Care & Domestic Work

Despite the declining fertility rate seen worldwide and in Malaysia, the issue of childcare still remains, particularly since family structures are becoming more independent units. With many parents chasing economic opportunities and lacking community support to raise children, childcare services are in demand. This article will briefly explore how countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam are moving to improving the quality and accessibility of childcare services to allow for comparison with Malaysia’s own initiatives and provide lessons on the way forward.

The burden of care is a rising issue faced not just by Malaysia but also across the globe. The increase in dependant populations in tandem with a shrinking working age group has led countries to rethink how the former population is taken care of while still balancing economic growth. This article will briefly explore how countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam are moving to tackling the needs of their ageing nation in order to provide lessons for the establishment of Malaysia’s own Care Framework.

This article explores why highly educated married women in Malaysia exit or do not enter the labour force, despite education levels equal to or higher than their husbands. Drawing on findings from the KRI–SRR survey, it highlights how structural barriers, caregiving responsibilities, and household dynamics shape women’s participation, challenging the stereotype that non-working women are not contributing to the economy or nation.

This discussion paper is part of KRI’s Gender and Care Work research series. It examines how unpaid care labour has been increasingly reframed in Malaysia’s policy discourse, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic