These headlines are very demotivating:
Pregnant Women in Malaysia Likely to Get Fired (Aug 17, 2016)
With child, without job: Pregnant Malaysian women and workplace discrimination (Sep 18, 2016)
Question is: WHY?
Question is: WHY?
Some excerpts from the news articles above read like this:
"According to a recent online survey by the Women's Aid Organization (WAO), 44% of the 222 Malaysian women polled said they had lost a job, missed out on a promotion, were demoted or put through extended probation because they were pregnant."
"Around 49% said they feared losing their jobs or being sidelined because of their pregnancy while 31% said they put plans to get pregnant on hold for fear of losing their jobs or promotion."
"The survey found the top five ways employers discriminated against pregnant women were making their positions redundant, denying them promotions, placing them on prolonged probation, demoting them and terminating them, reports the Selangor-based lifestyle news agency Star2."
"Around 49% said they feared losing their jobs or being sidelined because of their pregnancy while 31% said they put plans to get pregnant on hold for fear of losing their jobs or promotion."
"The survey found the top five ways employers discriminated against pregnant women were making their positions redundant, denying them promotions, placing them on prolonged probation, demoting them and terminating them, reports the Selangor-based lifestyle news agency Star2."
"Malaysia has the lowest entitlement to maternity leave among all countries in Southeast Asia. While most countries in Southeast Asia provide at least 90 days maternity leave, in Malaysia, it's still 60 days."
******************************
Things are worse after maternity leave ends. Stress comes from many different directions: workload, pressure to perform at work, travel/on-the-road duration, pumping at work, baby's needs, older kids' needs, house chores, etc. The list is endless! First-time mothers feel it worst. I had been through that hell of a hole. It took me almost seven months after I returned work to get out of that derogatory situation.
Question is, when a woman is pregnant and after she's back from giving birth, is there any greener pasture where she can still shine and not discriminated?
I believe there is; I hope there is.
In general, greener pasture refers to a new, better, and more interesting place, job, or activity. In my opinion, even if the change of job requires a pay-cut or let's say I become a homemaker, as long as I can perform well in the new "role" that I take on, it is greener pasture to me.
Anyway, in case you missed, you can learn more about the flexWorkLife.my initiative, a collaboration between the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and TalentCorp, created to facilitate the return of women to the workplace. View the FAQs here.
Another site that you can look up is HerPortal.co, Malaysia's 1st All Female Job & Business Portal. This platform empowers Women (Working Women & Moms) to explore opportunities to self sustain by connecting them to Job Opportunities, Business Workshops and Events (marketplace & networking). Their mission is to connect women in Malaysia to women only jobs (Part Time/Flexi to Full Time), business opportunities (an opportunity to self sustain), as well as soft skills workshops to equip them with the essential know-hows.
******************************
Where there's a will, there's a way. I believe it's still possible to find a delicate balance between helping out with family finances and fulfill our role as a mother without getting the short end of the stick!
