Factors that impede and facilitate management careers of women in the Malaysian civil service
| Author | Janat Mohd Yousof,Gilbert B. Siegel |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230140405 |
| Date | 02 November 2006 |
| Published date | 02 November 2006 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL. 14,395404 (I 994)
Factors that impede and facilitate management careers of
women
in
the Malaysian civil service
JANAT MOHD
YOUSOF
University
of
Hawaii at Manou
and
GILBERT
B.
SIEGEL
University
of
Southern California,
Los
Angeles
SUMMARY
Female and male managers of the Malaysian civil service were surveyed in an attempt to
elucidate the factors that have facilitated and hindered their careers. The emphasis in this
article is on career differences between women and men. Many
of
the conditions which inhibit
the careers of female managers elsewhere in the world were also reported by those sampled.
Family requirements and resulting role conflict were evident. Many women have not married.
There was some evidence
of
sexual harassment. There
is
a suggestion that women may suffer
from low self-esteem and attribute their career progress primarily
to
luck. On the positive
side, and despite a government policy that has resulted in more public resources for higher
education being awarded to men than to women, women managers have achieved
career success. This is largely because of the socioeconomic status of their parents and the
apparent willingness
of
parents to educate female offspring who were not necessarily the
first-born.
INTRODUCTION
This article draws in part on the results of a survey of a sample of managers in
the Malaysian civil service with the objective
of
examining factors which describe
participation levels
of
women. Answers were sought on the following questions.
Are women given the same opportunities as men
to
advance into managerial ranks
without regard to gender? What are the factors that facilitate or impede women
from moving up the hierarchical levels?
THE MALAYSIAN CONTEXT
Malaysia has
a
population of approximately
18
million
(Malaysia
Yearbook,
1989).
It is a multiethnic society comprising three main ethnic groups (Sieh
et
al.,
1991):
Dr Janat Mohd Yousof is in the Public Administration Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Porteus
Hall
631,
2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA, and Dr Siege1
is
at the University
of
Southern
California,
Los
Angeles CA 90089-0041 USA.
CCC
027 1-2075/94/040395-10
0
1994
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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