KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 – A new report by UNICEF and the Penang state government highlights that women are the main caregivers in most households in the state.
According to the Families On The Edge, Penang report, which was published last month, a high percentage of households were involved in care work for both children and/or the elderly.
In general, a greater percentage of households were engaged in caring for children (44.8 per cent) compared to caring for the elderly (28.1 per cent). However, some households undertook responsibilities for both child care and elderly care (7.7 per cent).
A higher percentage of male-headed households had children needing care, while elderly care responsibilities were slightly higher in female-headed households compared to male-headed households (Figure 3.51).
The percentage of households with both elderly and children needing care were notably lower, with a higher proportion belonging to male-headed households (8.7 per cent) compared to female-headed households (6.4 per cent).
Seven out of 18 participants in a focus group discussion for the report were from households that required care for children.
Twelve of these households had elderly individuals in need of care. Two of the participants were in households that had both children and elderly needing care.
The report found that the responsibilities and burdens of care work largely fell on women. Women were chiefly responsible for caregiving activities in 78.8 per cent of households.
In almost all female-headed households, women were primarily responsible for care work: the household head was also the main caregiver in nearly half (49.5 per cent) of female-led households (Figure 3.52).
Although 23.1 per cent of male household heads did the majority of care work in male-headed households, women were still the primary caregivers in 70 per cent of these households.
While the majority of caregivers did not appear to feel overly burdened by their responsibilities, 30 per cent of caregivers experienced feelings of burden and stress due to their caregiving duties.
This observation was echoed in focus group discussions where the most laments were heard from two participants who came from households requiring care work for both children and the elderly.
According to the report, it was predominantly the women in these households who had to shoulder this responsibility.
Two of the focus group discussion participants reported that they sent their young children to babysitters who are trusted neighbours within the same PPR (housing for low income groups) instead of nurseries further away to save time, although they felt their children might benefit more in terms of educational development at the nurseries.
There was also a participant who sent her child to her parents-in-law’s house for the grandparents to take care of while she and her husband worked during the day.
Another participant sent her children to the nearest nursery and mentioned that the fees were burdensome.
Women’s Labour Force Participation Rate Historically Lower Than Men’s
Family and household responsibilities were one of the top reasons women left the workforce, according to the report.
The labour force participation rate for women in Penang has historically been lower than that of men (Figure 3.53).
In 2022, 62.9 per cent of working-age women were outside the labour force due to housework and family responsibilities. In contrast, only 2.3 per cent of working-age men outside the labour force cited the same reasons.
Insights from the focus group participants supported this finding, indicating that families who do not utilise child care services or seek child care assistance from grandparents often rely on their mothers for caregiving at home.
These responsibilities restrict women from participating in the labour force.
The Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) also acknowledged that women were often the primary caregiver in families.
According to the report, in their field project examining affordable child care for lower-income communities, PWDC observed that more than 80 per cent of the community participants across different districts were women, even though the project brief asked for all parents.
Non-working mothers also professed that the lack of suitable child care services and arrangements was one of the reasons they did not return to work.
The issue of affordability was frequently highlighted, with a single mother expressing the challenges of child care fees, particularly for single-parent families.
Some mothers also mentioned that the additional financial burden of fees for extra curriculum or development courses proved challenging for lower income families.
The report concluded that making child care services affordable and accessible could facilitate the return of women to the workforce, if they wished to do so.
About The Families On The Edge Project
The Families on the Edge project was commissioned by Unicef Malaysia and the Penang State Government and aims to evaluate how social welfare services have influenced the lives of those they serve, particularly women and children in low-income households in Penang.
The project tracked the socio-economic status, welfare and overall well-being of beneficiary households.
The research team conducted surveys among 433 low-income households across all five districts in Penang through two survey rounds.
The first survey round took place from April to August 2022 while the second round was conducted from February to May 2023.
The project also gathered insights through interviews and focus group discussions with recipients and providers of aid from March to July 2022 and from July to November 2023, in tandem with the respective survey rounds.
