Women Labour Force Participation: Do Gender-Role Attitudes Play a Part?

As much as data on the women labour force participation (LFP) rate reveals, several issues remain puzzling. While the dominance of women in the manufacturing and service sector is evident, the proportion of Malaysian women in the workforce is still low when compared to neighbouring countries. This paper utilises data from the World Values Survey to explore how one’s attributes and gender-role attitudes affect women LFP in Malaysia, given that empirical literature finds that women’s LFP contributes to human capital empowerment and spurs economic growth. Our results suggest that individuals who hold traditional gender attitudes, in terms of ‘being a housewife is fulfilling,’ will probably choose to refrain from the workforce. Other gender-role attitude indicators are diluted by the Malaysian government’s policies to encourage more women in the workforce. Our findings suggest a need to increase the return to skills to curtail the influence of traditional gender-role beliefs. This study provides useful insights to policymakers and employers in devising appropriate measures to increase women’s economic empowerment.