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Steps to narrow the gender gap in Malaysia and Indonesia appear to be falling short, after a major global study found that most people surveyed in both nations remain tethered to traditional views on the roles of women.
The study by research firm Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found that 66 and 60 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively, agreed with the statement that “a wife should always obey her husband”, the highest proportions across 29 countries surveyed.
When asked a further question about their stance on whether husbands should have the final word on key decisions made at home, 67 and 58 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia agreed, respectively, according to the study.
Over 23,000 people were surveyed from countries including Singapore, India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil on gender roles and their views of norms in December and January this year, in a study timed for International Women’s Day published on March 5.
The attitudes were “not particularly surprising,” said Mohd Faizal Musa, research fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation at the National University of Malaysia, adding that Indonesia and Malaysia had deep-rooted Eastern cultural norms and customs, which were often intertwined with Islamic teachings.
But he said measuring gender attitudes of the two Southeast Asian countries against Western ideas of conservativeness and modernity was not as simple as it seemed, revealing the limitations of global studies on attitudes and values.
“Southeast Asian societies, especially within the Malay world, are generally complex and cannot be fully understood through a single narrative or assumption.”
He cited Malaysia’s adat perpatih system, a customary practice guided by Islam that emphasises matrilineality and prioritises women. “Gender dynamics in the region are nuanced and context-specific,” he said.
Melissa Yoong, associate professor in sociolinguistics at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia, said that while both countries continued to be attached to traditional male roles, they were likely to view female progression in careers and leadership roles more positively.
“Gender equality policies have largely focused on women’s economic empowerment, with less attention given to reshaping views about men’s roles and gender relations through social and legal reforms,” she said.
She noted that both countries had been actively promoting women’s entrance into the labour force in recent years.
In October last year, Malaysia launched a national initiative designed to equip at least 100,000 women with skills and opportunities beyond 2030, in line with its goal to increase female labour force participation. The initiative also plans to promote childcare-friendly practices.
Indonesia aims to raise its female labour force participation rate to 70 per cent by 2045, up from about 56 per cent in 2024. The country has launched a road map leading up to 2045, which plans to address issues such as childcare services and maternity protection.
“As a result [of policies], more people may now view women’s pursuit of careers and leadership roles in a positive light,” she said.
A perhaps unanticipated result arose from Japan and South Korea – Asian nations often criticised for a deep-rooted political and institutional patriarchy – where just 7 and 9 per cent of respondents, respectively, agreed that women should obey their husbands.
Kyung Hee Ha, an ethnographer and assistant professor at North Carolina State University, said individual views often departed from systemic patriarchy in both societies.
Japan and South Korea ranked 118th and 101st out of 148 countries, respectively, in last year’s World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index.
Ha pointed out that Japan scored especially poorly in political and economic participation, and said structural gender inequality persisted in the form of pay gaps and “virtually non-existent” women in managerial roles.
She said: “While respondents from both countries recognise institutional disparity, their personal views are not always in alignment with what has been accepted as a norm and they don’t seem to necessarily internalise the social norm.”
Elsewhere in the survey, 57 per cent of Gen Z males agreed when asked if they thought that men were being discriminated against amid the promotion of gender equality.
The young generation came of age during a period when, in many countries, gender equality appeared to have been achieved, leading to feminism being perceived as unnecessary or even unfair, Yoong said.
“As a result, some young men who feel left behind by institutions and socioeconomic changes may come to blame feminism for their struggles and be drawn to calls for a return to traditional gender norms and family values,” she added.
According to the study, 64 per cent of respondents across all age groups in Singapore agreed that efforts to give women equal rights with men “have gone far enough” in the city state, above the global average of 52 per cent.
Singapore’s conservatism often stemmed from state-institutionalised masculine norms that tie male identity to service and stoicism, such as national service, leading to them viewing gender equality as a zero-sum game and a “systemic betrayal”, said Singaporean research team Campus Sexual Misconduct in a Digital Age.
The team said: “Rather than challenging institutional logic, male grievance is displaced onto women, sustaining a zero-sum framework that legitimises gender-based violence.”
Women may also be viewed as threats to existing power structures when individuals feel uncertainty about their future and opportunities, according to Casmida. “However, this perspective misunderstands rights as a zero-sum game, which it is not.”
Malaysia, Indonesia top global poll on ‘obedient’ wives
A new study also shows 64 per cent of respondents in Singapore agree that efforts to give women equal rights with men ‘have gone far enough’
Kolette Lim
South China Morning Post
Published: 10:30am, 23 Mar 2026
Updated: 11:07am, 23 Mar 2026
Steps to narrow the gender gap in Malaysia and Indonesia appear to be falling short, after a major global study found that most people surveyed in both nations remain tethered to traditional views on the roles of women.
The study by research firm Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found that 66 and 60 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively, agreed with the statement that “a wife should always obey her husband”, the highest proportions across 29 countries surveyed.
When asked a further question about their stance on whether husbands should have the final word on key decisions made at home, 67 and 58 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia agreed, respectively, according to the study.
Over 23,000 people were surveyed from countries including Singapore, India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil on gender roles and their views of norms in December and January this year, in a study timed for International Women’s Day published on March 5.
The attitudes were “not particularly surprising,” said Mohd Faizal Musa, research fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation at the National University of Malaysia, adding that Indonesia and Malaysia had deep-rooted Eastern cultural norms and customs, which were often intertwined with Islamic teachings.
But he said measuring gender attitudes of the two Southeast Asian countries against Western ideas of conservativeness and modernity was not as simple as it seemed, revealing the limitations of global studies on attitudes and values.
“Southeast Asian societies, especially within the Malay world, are generally complex and cannot be fully understood through a single narrative or assumption.”
He cited Malaysia’s adat perpatih system, a customary practice guided by Islam that emphasises matrilineality and prioritises women. “Gender dynamics in the region are nuanced and context-specific,” he said.
Melissa Yoong, associate professor in sociolinguistics at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia, said that while both countries continued to be attached to traditional male roles, they were likely to view female progression in careers and leadership roles more positively.
“Gender equality policies have largely focused on women’s economic empowerment, with less attention given to reshaping views about men’s roles and gender relations through social and legal reforms,” she said.
She noted that both countries had been actively promoting women’s entrance into the labour force in recent years.
In October last year, Malaysia launched a national initiative designed to equip at least 100,000 women with skills and opportunities beyond 2030, in line with its goal to increase female labour force participation. The initiative also plans to promote childcare-friendly practices.
Indonesia aims to raise its female labour force participation rate to 70 per cent by 2045, up from about 56 per cent in 2024. The country has launched a road map leading up to 2045, which plans to address issues such as childcare services and maternity protection.
“As a result [of policies], more people may now view women’s pursuit of careers and leadership roles in a positive light,” she said.
A perhaps unanticipated result arose from Japan and South Korea – Asian nations often criticised for a deep-rooted political and institutional patriarchy – where just 7 and 9 per cent of respondents, respectively, agreed that women should obey their husbands.
Kyung Hee Ha, an ethnographer and assistant professor at North Carolina State University, said individual views often departed from systemic patriarchy in both societies.
Japan and South Korea ranked 118th and 101st out of 148 countries, respectively, in last year’s World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index.
Ha pointed out that Japan scored especially poorly in political and economic participation, and said structural gender inequality persisted in the form of pay gaps and “virtually non-existent” women in managerial roles.
She said: “While respondents from both countries recognise institutional disparity, their personal views are not always in alignment with what has been accepted as a norm and they don’t seem to necessarily internalise the social norm.”
Feminism backlash
Observers said economic uncertainty and institutional rules, such as military service, might be among the reasons that most males in Asia were not enthusiastic about the feminist movement, a phenomenon seen globally.Elsewhere in the survey, 57 per cent of Gen Z males agreed when asked if they thought that men were being discriminated against amid the promotion of gender equality.
The young generation came of age during a period when, in many countries, gender equality appeared to have been achieved, leading to feminism being perceived as unnecessary or even unfair, Yoong said.
“As a result, some young men who feel left behind by institutions and socioeconomic changes may come to blame feminism for their struggles and be drawn to calls for a return to traditional gender norms and family values,” she added.
According to the study, 64 per cent of respondents across all age groups in Singapore agreed that efforts to give women equal rights with men “have gone far enough” in the city state, above the global average of 52 per cent.
Singapore’s conservatism often stemmed from state-institutionalised masculine norms that tie male identity to service and stoicism, such as national service, leading to them viewing gender equality as a zero-sum game and a “systemic betrayal”, said Singaporean research team Campus Sexual Misconduct in a Digital Age.
The team said: “Rather than challenging institutional logic, male grievance is displaced onto women, sustaining a zero-sum framework that legitimises gender-based violence.”
Women may also be viewed as threats to existing power structures when individuals feel uncertainty about their future and opportunities, according to Casmida. “However, this perspective misunderstands rights as a zero-sum game, which it is not.”
