According to a study by Strive Malaysia, women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are playing a crucial role in Malaysia’s economic growth, with over 241,000 such businesses now accounting for 21% of the SME sector—an area that makes up 97.4% of all businesses in the country. This surge is happening as Malaysia, backed by both government and private sector initiatives, pushes for greater gender parity and aims to reach a 60% female labor force participation rate by 2033. Women entrepreneurs are driving innovation and resilience across industries, but they still face challenges such as time poverty, digital adoption gaps, and limited financial confidence.
To address these, targeted support programs and policy reforms are being rolled out, shaping a more inclusive business environment and helping Malaysia move toward its gender equality goals
Even though the female LFPR increased little to 56.3%, it is still far higher than the male LFPR of 82.9%, highlighting the need for gender-inclusive policies and programs.
Empathy Meets Innovation:
How Women Entrepreneurs Use Purposeful Technology & Empathetic Leadership to Transform Businesses was the topic of a recent panel discussion hosted by self-service laundry firm dobiQueen. The meeting provided a forum for discussing systemic issues and workable solutions by bringing together representatives from TalentCorp’s Wanita MyWira, Khazanah Research Institute (KRI), and Strive Malaysia.
Resolving the Digital Divide and Time Poverty
97% of female entrepreneurs suffer with time poverty, juggling business operations with childcare and household duties, according to a Strive Malaysia research. Many people do not completely utilise digital technologies for business, even though over 80% are digitally literate thanks to sites like Facebook and TikTok.
Moreover, just 50% of MSWEs are comfortable handling company money. Many pointed to a lack of easily accessible, pertinent information from financial institutions as well as a limited comprehension of more general financial concepts.
In order to close these gaps, Strive Malaysia launched Strivers’ Hub, a digital platform that provides mentorship, customised microlearning, and a self-assessment tool for creating scalable, resilient women-led enterprises.
“This report has helped shape targeted interventions for women entrepreneurs,” said Li Yang Lau, Programme Officer at Strive Malaysia. “We aim to create an enabling ecosystem that reflects their evolving needs.”
The Mission of dobiQueen: Empathy in Business
dobiQueen, which Nini Tan co-founded, is an example of a company that was formed out of empathy. With 90 locations in the Klang Valley, it has transformed the laundry experience by providing time-constrained homes with digital alternatives.
“Women in Malaysia spend over 60% more time on unpaid care work daily,” Nini noted. “We designed dobiQueen to reduce that second shift, combining tech with services like express delivery, folding and pickup via a mobile app.”
Expanding Institutional Assistance
To help women in the workforce, from students and returnees to entrepreneurs and leaders, TalentCorp, a division of the Ministry of Human Resources, introduced Wanita MyWira in 2024.
“Through advocacy, employer engagement, and skills development, we’re addressing systemic workforce gaps,” said Natasha Alias, Head of Wanita MyWira. “In 2025, we’re scaling up efforts, promoting Career Comeback tax incentives, and working with universities and industries on inclusive hiring.”
In order to promote workplace equality, TalentCorp is also creating a Gender Action Lab Report that is in line with UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.
Agricultural Women: The “Invisible Farmers”
Despite their considerable contributions to agriculture, women are still underappreciated because of gender stereotypes and restricted access to resources, according to Dr. Teoh Ai Ni, a research associate at the Khazanah Research Institute.
“Digital adoption is transforming agriculture. It’s no longer as labour-intensive, opening new doors for women,” Dr Teoh said. “But structural barriers — from care burdens to stereotypes — still need urgent redress.”
The contributions of women-led enterprises, enabled by empathy, digital innovation, and collaborative policy, are proving crucial to the success of the country as Malaysia moves closer to its 2033 LFPR target. In addition to being economically necessary, strengthening MSWE support networks is a first step towards a more inclusive future.
