Malaysia's Women’s Ministry considers proposal to share maternity leave

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Proposal to share maternity leave

Highlights

The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is reviewing a proposal for spouses to share maternity leave to make childcare more flexible.
The proposal was raised during the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 and covers needs arising from infant health conditions such as jaundice.
The Department of Social Welfare is considering temporary cash assistance for welfare recipients whose bank accounts are frozen due to fraud investigations.

This article was translated from the original. Read the original version by our correspondent here.

Proposal for parents to share leave

As reported by The Edge Malaysia, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development will review a proposal to allow maternity leave entitlement to be shared between spouses as part of a review of childcare support. Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the proposal was being considered to give couples more flexibility in dividing childcare responsibilities, particularly when mothers need additional help after giving birth.

Nancy expressed support for initiatives that encourage families to spend more time together and share childcare responsibilities. She made the remarks while winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 at the policy stage for her ministry in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

The proposal was raised earlier by Rodziah Ismail, Member of Parliament for Ampang, who suggested that mothers be allowed to share their maternity leave with their husbands, especially when a newborn needs additional care. She said the current provision of seven days of paternity leave and 98 days of maternity leave was a positive step, but more flexible arrangements could help families cope with situations such as jaundice or other health problems affecting babies.

Implications for welfare and support policy

Separately, Nancy said the Department of Social Welfare, or JKM, could consider providing temporary cash assistance to welfare recipients whose bank accounts are frozen following fraud-related investigations. The measure aims to ensure recipients can still meet their daily needs even when they cannot access their accounts.

Under existing guidelines, JKM's monthly assistance payments are transferred electronically to recipients' active personal bank accounts. If an account is frozen or can no longer be used due to a fraud-related investigation, recipients or their legal heirs are advised to contact the nearest District Social Welfare Office for guidance and to provide details of a valid, active alternative account.

She said the Ministry of Finance had also informed her that banks were willing to work with welfare recipients whose accounts had been frozen while investigations were ongoing, to enable them to withdraw their welfare payments. JKM is aware of the financial security issues affecting welfare recipients, particularly online fraud, identity theft and bank account freezes that disrupt monthly assistance payments.

In our earlier report on quality investment criteria and women's participation in the workforce , we highlighted that investment is now assessed not only by the capital it brings in, but also by job quality—including fair wages, safe workplaces and flexible working arrangements. We also outlined how a lack of childcare support prompts some women to leave the labour market, making family-friendly policies an important factor in retaining talent and boosting national productivity.

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