Philosophical and legal analysis on gender equality: a study in Malaysian corporate sector

As much as human rights are concerned, equality was found as the basic element in all international treaties and conventions of human rights including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Within the context of gender in Malaysia, the existing gaps between men and women in economic participation is argued as representing the practice of gender inequality, especially among the decision-makers. Literature has suggested the need for a national policy specifically on anti-discrimination at the workplace. The problem is less effort was done in providing a deeper understanding of the concept of gender equality itself. This study thus aims to examine the concept of gender equality rooted in the philosophical and legal perspectives through the study of egalitarianism and feminism theories, as well as the regulations related to gender and employment. It is vital in providing a clear view of gender equality towards combating discrimination and reforming social justice. This study also aims to analyse the practice of gender equality at the Malaysian workplace in highlighting the real picture of the issue and propose the basic guidelines of gender equality at the workplace. A qualitative research design was used by employing two approaches of data collection; the doctrinal library research and interview. The findings show that gender equality in the Malaysian workplaces are hugely affected by the existing culture in the Malaysian society. It was found that there are several principles in considering gender equality at the workplace, including the principles of equal treatment, entitlement, non-discrimination and equal opportunity not perpetuating equal outcome. However, this study only covers respondents from several corporate sectors, hence, a more comprehensive study is needed for future research