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Publication Date : 19-03-2013

Democratic Action Party (DAP) Wanita chief Chong Eng said Malaysian women lag behind men in nation building and merely play a “supporting role”.

She said an international study on gender equality placed Malaysia at the 100th position among 135 countries, adding that this ranking put the nation among African and Middle Eastern countries when it comes to equal treatment.

Chong, who is Bukit Mertajam MP, admitted, however, that not many women were keen to get involved in politics as they found it “dirty and competitive”.

Among the 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives), she said, there were only 20 women – 11 from the Barisan Nasional and nine from the opposition.

“The country is at a crossroad and the government should do more in helping women, especially in politics,” she said.

Chong said this at a press conference here yesterday, when commenting on the nationwide 1Million Women Purple Walk on Sunday.

Calling for proactive measures to reduce the gap between men and women, she said there are about 850,000 single mothers in the country and 80 per cent of them are at the poverty level.

Chong added that many women working in various sectors were finding it hard to balance their lives between being a career woman, mother and wife.