Family-Friendly Work Conditions (FFWCs), Gender Concept and Welfare Regime in Malaysia: a document analysis

Abstract Gender disparities in paid work persist, despite implementing family-friendly work conditions (FFWCs) aimed at increasing women’s paid work participation. Global evidence demonstrates an interaction between gender and welfare regimes that underpin FFWCs, which may render them ineffective in achieving the goal of equitable participation. However, the existing findings are not easily transferrable to the Malaysian context. Evidence for hidden inequities in FFWCs documents in the context of gender and welfare regime in Malaysia has not been comprehensively uncovered. This document analysis aids in exploring which FFWCs has been documented and uncovering FFWCs’ interpretation in the context of gender concepts and welfare regime in Malaysia. Thirty-six documents on FFWCs were reviewed. Findings showed some distinction in the identified FFWCs between public sector, private and international organisations, yet the differences indicated all organisations maintain and conform with Malaysia’s welfare regime. While the intent of FFWCs focuses on women’s inclusion in the workforce, there appeared to be tensions with the values underlying welfare regime in preserving values associated with traditional family systems. This paper offers a way forward in Malaysian FFWCs by accounting for the influence of traditional gender role ideology and reframing women's and gender narratives, including the use of gender-neutral language.