Efforts to empower women will not weaken the family institution but rather strengthen it, said former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in her keynote address at the Gender Outlook Forum 2025 on Thursday (Aug 28).
00:00To deliver the appreciation speech, please welcome.
00:07Ladies and gentlemen, I am a firm believer in strong family values.
00:13Let us be clear, empowering women does not threaten the family institution.
00:20It strengthens it.
00:21I believe a family where the mother is educated, economically independent, has her voice, is more resilient, stable and prosperous, and a prosperous family.
00:36The family is the first madrasa, remember that, monks especially.
00:41The first school of equity and equality.
00:43It is where our sons, more important, learn to respect women by watching how their father treats their mom.
00:52It is where our daughters learn to have a voice by being heard and valued.
00:57The principles of compassion, rahmah, justice, adil, and mutual respect, ikhtirao, are very cognizant of both a strong family and a gender-equal society.
01:09They are not mutually exclusive, they are one and the same.
01:14Our strength as a society is rooted in our families.
01:18As an empowered woman, it is the ultimate amplifier of those family values.
01:24A mother teaches her children about courage.
01:27A mother who is an innovator teaches her children to solve problems.
01:32The family is our launchpad, and we equip our children with the values of respect, empathy,
01:37and the whole belief that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, inshallah.
01:43And also, I am happy.
01:45Akhlaq yang mulia, good behavior.
01:48You must be very polite.
01:50You must know your values.
01:52And that's how people see you and your image is important.
01:57And you pass that to your younger generation.
02:00Women's status in Malaysia has improved in many areas.
02:07Allow me to share some encouraging examples.
02:10In education, women make up 61.2% of students in our public universities, one of the highest rates globally.
02:20The World Economic Forum ranks Malaysia top in educational attainment, a reflection of how far our women have come.
02:31In leadership, women now hold 38.9% of decision-making posts in the public sector, surpassing our 30% target.
02:41In the corporate sector, women hold 30.7% of boards' seats in the top 100 PLCs, reaching our 2030 target ahead of time.
02:54In workplace equality, in order to support women's participation in the workforce, we have updated labor policies in line with international standards.
03:06Under the Madani Economic Framework, we aim to raise this to 60% by 2030.
03:15To achieve this, KPWKM is leading several key efforts.
03:20We have launched the National Women's Policy and Action Plan 2025-2013, which focuses on four key pillars, economy, leadership, safety, and well-being.
03:34It calls for gender-sensitive approaches across all ministries.
03:39So true progress is when women's voices are heard.
03:43Their potential is unleashed and gender is no longer a barrier.
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