KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — Selangor will outline five important elements in establishing a framework or policy related to the Care Economy involving children, women and the elderly in the state.
State executive councillor for women development and social welfare Anfaal Saari said the elements for the framework, expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2024, include advocacy and promotion, governance and regulation, a trained workforce and caregivers, investment and collaboration, as well as innovation and technology.
"Advocacy and promotion to identify the importance, the current state of the Care Economy, if we can coordinate (initiatives), then there is an economic opportunity.
"For the second thrust, the state government intends to meet the needs of parents, such as nurseries and so on.
"The third is to ensure that trained workforce and caregivers get structured training; fourth (investment and collaboration) is where the government plays a role in giving incentives to companies, for example, in data collection," she said.
[caption id="attachment_335591" align="alignleft" width="467"]
State executive councillor for women's development Anfaal Saari speaks during her interview with Media Selangor in the State Secretariat Building, Shah Alam, on November 9, 2023. — Picture by NUR ADIBAH AHMAD IZAM/SELANGORKINI[/caption]
Anfaal was speaking to Bernama TV during its Ruang Bicara programme yesterday evening.
The fifth thrust focuses on the use of technology to improve efficiency and provide access to the target group.
The care work is broadly defined as consisting of activities and relations involved in meeting the physical, psychological and emotional needs of adults and children, old and young, frail and able-bodied.
Nearly all the aspects of care are not only placed on the shoulders of mothers or women, but most of the important roles enabling the economy to function are informal and do not involve payment.
She said the framework could solve various problems arising for women in the care work sector as it is seen through its relationship with the market, work wages, the characteristics of the work done and the target of care receivers in the sector, which is based on two main issues which are unpaid care work and underpaid care work.
In addition, the percentage of women outside the labour force is 69.6 per cent, and one of the main factors contributing to the scenario is housework or responsibilities to the family.
A study conducted by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) showed that if there is a 30 per cent increase in the labour force participation rate (LFPR) for women, the gross domestic product (GDP) for Selangor will also increase from 25 per cent to between 27 and 30 per cent.
A study by Merdeka Centre and The Asia Foundation in Selangor from 2020 to 2022 also shows that working women face the challenge of high childcare costs and inflexible working hours requiring workplace nurseries.
— Bernama
