Strategic empowerment of women in Malaysia’s corporate sector: A phenomenological study

The purpose of the study was to explore the strategies of empowering women in Malaysia’ corporate sector. Understanding these strategies of empowering women was vital as it helped the organization to implement appropriate strategies and foster policy towards engaging and empowering more women to progress in corporate ladder. The study utilized qualitative method which was guided by phenomenological inquiry to understand the challenges of empowering women in corporate sectors. The finding strategies of empowering women in corporate sector which consisted of: flexible workforce/work life balance initiatives, review existing policy and gap/anti- discrimination policy/Supportive family policies, leadership development and mentorship/visible role, career development opportunity ,gender awareness/sensitivity training , diverse hiring practice, inclusive organizational culture and supportive infrastructure The study depended mainly on women leaders as a primary source of data. The experiences shared may be different from each other based on their role and positions. The study was appropriate for corporate sectors and human resource management to develop policies and procedures that were needed to empower women within organization and corporate sectors. The strategies revealed in the finding enlightened the effective approaches to help women advance within corporate sectors. The study had its unique value through its focus on implementing phenomenology inquiry to explore the strategies towards empowering women in Malaysia’s corporate sector. Qualitative method granted an immersed exploration of perceptions and experience of women pertaining to empowerment strategies. The strategies provided significant understanding for corporate sector, policy makes as well as Human Resource Department to propose effective methods to foster gender equality and empowering women in Malaysia’s corporate settings.