"Women are no longer followers, but are now at the forefront"  Shahrizat

Kuala Lumpur: Women must now be given equal opportunities and recognition, especially in professional and technical sectors that have long been male-dominated.

Chairperson of the Malaysian Women's and Family Affairs Organisation (HAWA), Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said that today’s women should be given the space and opportunity to progress further, particularly in challenging and high-impact sectors.

She said it is time to increase the percentage of women in professional and technical occupations in line with current career developments.

“The vast potential of women in the logistics and transportation sectors should be highlighted and given due recognition. Challenges still exist, but we can no longer overlook the talent and skills of women. With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, women have the potential to become a key driving force in the digital transformation of the logistics sector,” she said at the FemForward 2025 event organised by Women In Logistics and Transport (WiLAT) recently.

Shahrizat said it is important for the government and corporate sector to identify the existing barriers that women face in this sector, including employers' perceptions of women's ability to work in technical environments or irregular shifts.

“That is why we established the Consultative Committee on Women in Trade and Industry (JKK Witi) to identify and eliminate these barriers.

“If we are serious about national development, women can no longer be seen as followers. They need to be at the forefront,” she said.

Meanwhile, the President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Malaysia, Prof Ts Muhammad Zaly Shah, said proactive measures must be taken to increase women's participation in professional and technical fields.

He stated that professional and technical fields are no longer synonymous with men, but are now shared with women to uplift the current economy.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 188,000 women were involved in the transportation sector in 2022.

However, the percentage of women in professional and technical fields was only 40.2 percent in 2023.

In addition, FemForward 2025 presented 23 FemForward 2025 Awards to women from various sectors.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Special Lifetime Achievement Award to Tan Sri Dr Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad in recognition of her outstanding contributions to leadership and women's development in Malaysia.

FemForward 2025 is an annual event that gathers women leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and community activists to strengthen collaboration networks, drive collective action, and champion women’s aspirations towards a more progressive and prosperous society.