GENDER EQUALITY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF JURISPRUDENCE

Recently, in the 2021 Global Gender Gap report which identifies the gap between women and men across four sub-indices: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, Malaysia ranked 112 out of 156 countries. Therefore, recognising the significant role of women, Malaysia is committed in achieving gender equality and promoting the rights of women and girls. This paper deals with the socioeconomic status of Malaysian women. It provides an analysis of the views of jurists regarding gender equality and recent trends of the female labour force participation, the areas where the female labour force is concentrated at present, and gender differentials in many ways, and it makes recommendations to improve women’s status. The Paper focuses on the need to enhance more opportunities for Malaysian women as gender equality is not only a basic human right but is also critical in accelerating progress on sustainable development.