Many people are still used to the idea of women adopting the role of homemakers, but many people overlook the fact that a lot of men also adopt that role too!
According to statistics from the Ministry of Human Resources, there are around 2.91 million domestic workers in Malaysia, which include homemakers.
However, among these 2.91 million domestic workers, there are about 60,000 house-husbands in Malaysia, considered to be “working” at home, according to deputy Human Resources minister Datuk Ismail Abdul Muttalib, reports The Sun Daily.
Datuk Ismail then went on to say that these house-husbands might have been forced by their wives to remain at home, where they clean, cook, wash, and take care of their children.
Source: Campaign
“But we are not sure whether they are doing this voluntarily or whether they have been forced by their wife. I don’t know,” the minister said at the Dewan Rakyat, in response to a question from Datuk Abdullah Sani (PKR-Kuala Langat), who asked what plans the government has for husbands who need to take care of their wives and children after childbirth.
“From the total we have about 60,000 men who are homemakers, compared to 2.4 million women who are homemakers. So these are men who work at home.”
Datuk Ismail brought up this statistic after stating that despite Budget 2018 emphasising women in the workplace, the government also wants to ensure that the rights of men in the workforce are protected at the same time.
Source: The Sun Daily
“We are not abandoning the rights of men in the workforce. In fact the government announced five days of paternity leave for men in the public sector starting next year,” he continued.
“But for the private sector, there are no specific provisions and the paternity benefit depends on the employment terms and contract or collective agreements.”
He then went on to say that unions and employers should work along with the government to look at issues affecting men and women in the workforce.
What do you think of these stats? Do you know many house-husbands among your circle of friends?
Also read: Malaysian Celebrity Advises Women to Let Husbands Have Hobbies, But on One Condition
