COMPLETION REPORT

Do Women Really Hold Up Half the Sky?
A Comparative Study of Labor Force Participation of Married Women between Malaysia and Japan.

Dr. Suriyani Muhamad
Associate Professor
Faculty of Management and Economics
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
Do Women Really Hold Up Half the Sky? A Comparative Study of Labour Force Participation of Married
Women between Malaysia and Japan.
“Women hold up half the sky,” encapsulates the economic role of women within both the household and the larger
economy. This research aims to investigate i) the expectations among working mothers in Malaysia and Japan whenthey first enter the labour market and ii) their point of views on the suitable policy that could sustain womenparticipation in the labour market based on those implemented in Nordic countries. The research involved in depth
interviews with working mothers having children aged between 0 to 8 years old and used childcare centre facility.
In both countries, the findings of this research showed that the status of women as working mothers had a big impact
on their life. Both Japanese and Malaysian working mothers place family welfare, especially the children well being,as the top priority before joining the labour force. In terms of satisfaction as working mothers, more than half ofJapanese respondents said they were not really satisfied being working mothers. The main reasons are theirhusbands’ low committment in household chores (including child care), and the struggle to allocate quality time withkids. In contrast, most of the Malaysian respondents were satisfied being working mothers. An important reason is
the sharing of obligations with their husband in household chores and child care. The second research findings has
been narrowed down to the family-friendly policies under i) quantity and quality of formal childcare facilities andservices and ii) child related leave arrangements. The policies on childcare in Nordic countries (as a ‘best’ model forthe forerunners on high female labour participation rate) were explained to the respondents. All Japanese respondents
stressed on the limited capacity in public childcare and cited as an important reason why Japanese womens quit
working. They suggested that a better mechanism for child care center set ups is needed in order to motivate womento work. In terms of quality, they were satisfied with the quality of facilities and services of public child care centres.
The findings in Malaysia also revealed the same outcome where there are limited public childcare centres and thepriorities are given to low income family earners. Though, most of the Malaysian respondents were unhappy with
the quality childcare centres. With regard to child related leave arrangements, the Japanese regulations provide acomprehensive model for parents with young children. However most of Japanese respondents highlighted that theirspouse did not take or will not take a parental leave even though they are entitled for. The traditional thinking on theimportant role of women in raising childrens remain strong. It is the resposibility of men to work However, modeland regulations on child related leave arrangements are weak in Malaysia. The big differences compared to Japanfindings are Malaysian spouses took a full parental leave entitled to them.
In conclusion, most of Japanese respondents quit their job after delivering the first baby. Low support from spousein child care, the long working hours and the availability of places in childcare contributes to this decision. This
explains the contrasting career progression between men and women in Japan. In contrast, Malaysian respondents
have support from their spouses in terms of child care and household chores. None of them quit jobs after having
baby. Generally, childcare policies in the Nordic countries are better off compared to Japan and Malaysia. The
low cost of childcare, generous parental leave and the shorter working hours facilitate better work-family balance
for Nordic families. The Japanese and Malaysian working mothers expressed their support for the Nordic initiatives
on working mothers. Having family-friendly policies will motivate them to join and sustain in the labour force. As
such, the review on policies in terms of supporting working mothers in Japan and Malaysia are required, albeit in thecontext of the Asian tradition.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
Planned verbal presentation under the theme ‘Market Limitation on Women’s Career’
Date: 14-16 March 2016
Venue: Somerville College, Oxford UK
Name of Conference: Sixth Women’s Leadership Symposium
Title: Challenges of Married Women in Career Advancement: A Case Study of Asian Countries
Presenter: Suriyani Muhamad
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
Under Review
Title: Labour Force Participation of Married Women in Japan and Malaysia
Journal: Journal of Family and Economic Issues