KUALA LUMPUR: Many couples are compelled to abandon their careers to care for loved ones, underscoring a significant and growing concern, says the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
“We must not overlook the fact that managing a family should be a shared responsibility between husband and wife.
“The willingness of husbands to set aside their ego of ‘only men need to be the breadwinners’ and embrace this caregiving task indicates an attitude of togetherness, understanding, and respect between husband and wife,” she said, adding that this value is aligned with the National Family Policy.
Nancy made this statement during her ministerial winding-up speech for the motion of thanks for the royal address, addressing Paya Besar MP Datuk Shahar Abdullah’s inquiry about government measures to tackle the increasing trend of wives working whilst their husbands stay at home as caregivers for ageing parents or in-laws.
Shahar and Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali proposed encouraging more companies to adopt family-friendly policies to promote work-life balance.
They cautioned that an imbalance could influence mental health, potentially impacting birth rates and national fertility levels.
“When duties are evenly distributed, families operate more fairly and efficiently, particularly benefitting working women.
“The government, through various ministries and agencies, is committed to ensuring family-oriented policies remain relevant to socio-economic development,” said Nancy.
She added that this includes initiatives like family-friendly workspaces and flexible working arrangements.
She also said that her ministry collaborates with the Human Resources Ministry through TalentCorp’s FWA@Workplace programme to strengthen flexible work arrangements (FWA), supporting better work-life balance.
