KUALA LUMPUR: Although the 2022 Budget has made significant moves to include more women-friendly allocations, the government however has more work to do to address gender inequalities in Malaysia.
Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Sumitra Visvanathan said the 2022 Budget will be enough to address the gender inequalities that cover all aspects of life.
"There were notable announcements such as the allocation towards the police Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11); addressing period poverty; mandating public-listed companies to appoint at least one woman to their board; and expanding social protection to the informal sector.
"We did not see an increase in investment in childcare, despite the lack of childcare options becoming a major challenge for working women and the matter is amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We acknowledge there was some emphasis on gender in the budget but we feel this budget could have been more ambitious, especially given the already wide gender gaps having worsened following the pandemic," she said.
On the 2022 Budget to provide additional women shelters and allocation for mental health, Sumitra said there was no specific amount announced by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz yesterday.
She also said the budget lacked any additional allocation for services such as one-stop crisis centres in public hospitals, or an increase in Welfare Department officers.
"The government's proposal to give RM2,500 one-off payments for single parents is too low with just RM208 per month," she remarked.
