According to the study by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, 66% of respondents in Indonesia and 60% in Malaysia agreed with the statement that “a wife should always obey her husband,” the South China Morning Post reported.
Those were the highest percentages among the 29 countries included in the survey.
The study also found that 67% of respondents in Indonesia and 58% in Malaysia believed husbands should have the final say in important household decisions.
|
Activists carrying placards take part in a rally to support women’s rights calling for gender equality and to protest against gender discrimination, during the International Women’s Day outside the National Monument (Monas) complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 8, 2022. Photo by Reuters |
Released on March 5 ahead of International Women’s Day, the report surveyed more than 23,000 people between December 2025 and January 2026 in countries including Singapore, India, the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, focusing on attitudes toward gender roles and social norms.
Mohd Faizal Musa, a research fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation at the National University of Malaysia, said he found the findings “not particularly surprising.”
He said both Malaysia and Indonesia are shaped by long-standing Eastern cultural values that are often closely linked with Islamic teachings.
Melissa Yoong, an associate professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, said that although both societies still place strong emphasis on traditional male authority, they are generally more supportive of women advancing in careers and leadership.
She said gender equality efforts in both countries have mainly centered on helping women gain greater economic opportunities, while paying less attention to changing views about men’s roles and gender relations through legal and social reform.
Yoong added that both governments have made active efforts in recent years to increase women’s participation in the workforce.
In October 2025, Malaysia introduced a national program aimed at providing at least 100,000 women with skills and opportunities by 2030 as part of a broader push to raise female labor force participation. The initiative also promotes more childcare-friendly practices.
Indonesia, meanwhile, is aiming for women’s labor force participation to reach 70% by 2045 and has rolled out a roadmap that includes better childcare services and stronger maternity protections.
