Empowering Informal Caregivers and Care for Family

Malaysia is one of the fastest growing countries in Southeast Asia. This development process has resulted in the migration of population from the countryside to the city because of job opportunities that are offered. It is associated with rising standards of living, longer life expectancy and the increasing participation of women in the employment sector. However, the changes also impose costs directly and indirectly to the family. This is because the number of individuals who offer services as informal caregivers is decreasing. As more women involved in the labour force, they would not have much time to care for children, elderly parents, the sick and disabled of their family members. In fact, the imbalance role in the family and workplace may cause some women for not having more children, or decided not to married. It was certainly an impact on the country’s population in the future. Consequently, a mechanism to address the issue of providing informal care should be taken seriously. Informal caregivers do not need to focus on women and the family alone. As the people who need care are men and women, then it is the time for men strive to be the caregivers. Moreover, the burden of care should not be left to the family alone but share with other social institutions. Therefore, this paper discusses the issues related to the empowerment of informal caregivers and care for the family.