New Straits Times, August 18 2009 KUALA LUMPUR: In these challenging times, women should look at new areas of growth to carve a niche for themselves.
“Amid the crisis and the prospects for recovery, it is in areas of fresh growth or green field development that women can best shine. These include areas such as renewable technologies, information communications technology, new and emerging technologies and eco-tourism,” Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said in his keynote address at the Women’s Summit 2009 entitled “Tough Times: Rebuilding with Strength and Integrity”.
He noted that fresh growth or green field development are areas not occupied and dominated by men.
He said the 2009 International Labour Organisation Report on Global Employment Trends for Women released in March noted that creative solutions were needed to address not only the gender gap but also between the rich and poor, and different occupational groupings.
He said the government was committed to elevating the status of women in society.
“The government has already set a target of 30 per cent of the senior positions in the public sector to be held by women. We would like to see this emulated by the corporate sector, where women at the decision-making level are still under-represented.”
On the issue of foreign maids Muhyiddin noted that demands for higher wages from the source country, and manipulation by agents have contributed to the increasing cost of domestic staff.
He said most employers didn’t mind paying higher wages.
“But it’s a different story if the maid is not trained or does not meet the expectations of the employer.”
Muhyiddin said the government was looking into this, and at the procedures to bring maids into the country, as well as negotiating better terms for maids from Indonesia.