ROLES OF MALAY WOMEN IN THE PROCESS OF CARING FOR ELDERLY PARENTS: DILEMMA AND CHALLENGES IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION

A drastic increase in the number of elderly people (above 60 years) in several countries in Southeast Asia including Malaysia and Indonesia has raised concerns. The numbers of elderly population in Malaysia are that the birth rate in Malaysia has been decreasing in the last few decades. Both these statistics describe a global phenomenon relating to the caring for elderly parents by adult children. Challenges faced by adult children who are taking care of their elderly parents (i.e., career, care of their own family, and care of elderly parents) have not been analysed or discussed widely. This article discusses the experience of adult children (daughters) who are taking care of their elderly parents by using role theory. The data collection was done using in-depth interview method on 8 respondents and the survey method on 399 respondents both of which were conducted by enumerators. The survey and in-depth interview results show that daughters are more involved in caring for their elderly parents. The elderly parents also expect help and support from their daughters more than from their sons. This phenomenon will have negative implications on women s career, family and nation development. This article concludes that employers should take into consideration more flexible hours, increase formal and informal support for the working women who are caring for their elderly parents and family in achieving our goal as a caring society in a developed nation.