Malaysia to provide housewives with social insurance cover

Malaysia has passed a bill that will provide voluntary insurance protection to close to 3 million Malaysian housewives.

Known as the Housewives’ Social Security Bill, the measure was passed by a voice vote in the Dewan Rakyat (lower house of Parliament), New Straits Times reported.

The scheme will be managed by the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), with around 3 million housewives below age 55 eligible. It will provide illness and accident coverage for housewives, with an annual premium of MYR120 (around SG$37), paid by the husband. Husbands who sign their wives up for the scheme but fail to pay the premium could face a fine of up to MYR10,000.

The government will cover the premiums of around 150,000 women whose families were identified to be living in extreme poverty.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said the bill recognises the contributions of housewives, who were a part of the “care economy”, which is directly responsible for the maintenance of the family.

Awang said that the term “housewife” encompasses women, whether married or unmarried, who manage a household, whether part-time or full-time.

However, stay-at-home husbands are not eligible for the scheme.

“This is a new law and there will be room in the future for revision to include protection for husbands looking after the household,” he said.