Exploring feminism and gender equality among Orang Asli for women empowerment in Malaysia.

Authors

  • Rafidah Abd Karim Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 35400 Tapah Road, Perak, Malaysia.
  • Ramlee Mustapha Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
  • Mohd Hasrol Haffiz Aliasak College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.
  • Norwaliza Abdul Wahab Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
  • Nurul Farhani Che Ghani Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 35400 Tapah Road, Perak, Malaysia.
  • Nurul Shatirah Zainol Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol10iss2pp203-221

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The Orang Asli of Malaysia are commonly experienced systemic discrimination such as protection of their rights, exclusion from decision-making processes, and stereotyping. Orang Asli women still face challenges in achieving women's empowerment, primarily due to their lack of awareness and prior knowledge of the issues. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to explore feminism and gender equality characteristics among Orang Asli women for achieving women empowerment in Malaysia.

Methodology: The study employed a qualitative case study of multiple cases and multiple sites. The samples involved of 20 Orang Asli women from four main tribes. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview. The study used a thematic analysis, and data was analysed using the Atlas.ti 8 software.

Findings: The study discovered four major themes emerged from the thematic data analysis: (1) knowledge of women’s rights, (2) the roles of women in family and society, (3) women and prospects, and (4) women and empowerment.

Contributions: This article support both the policy makers and human rights activists to address the issues of indigenous women and the SDG 5 globally. This study implicates that the empowerment of indigenous women can contribute to the growth of women's rights and gender equality among indigenous population.

Keywords: Indigenous, feminism, women empowerment, Orang Asli, Malaysia.

Author Biographies

  • Rafidah Abd Karim, Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 35400 Tapah Road, Perak, Malaysia.

    Dr Rafidah Abd Karim is a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA Tapah Campus, Perak, Malaysia. She received her PhD in TESL which specializes in Mobile Language Learning in Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia. She serves an editorial board, and she is also an active and reviewer for 15 numerous distinguished international journals. She has published more than 70 publications mainly in mobile technology, AI, mind mapping, women studies, gender studies and indigenous studies in both national and international levels.

  • Ramlee Mustapha, Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

    Dr. Ramlee Mustapha is a professor of TVET at the Department of Engineering Technology, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, Malaysia. He was the 5th President of the Asian Academic Society for Vocational Education and Training (AASVET). He was the Dean of Graduate Studies and then the Dean of TVET faculty. He has obtained his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Alabama, USA, his Master and PhD from Purdue University, USA.

  • Mohd Hasrol Haffiz Aliasak, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.

    Dr Mohd Hasrol Haffiz Aliasak is a senior lecturer at Centre of Studies for Real Estate Management, Department of Built Environemnt and Technology Studies, College of Built Environment Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Seri Iskandar Campus, Perak, Malaysia. His interests include land administration and development, real estate valuation and appraisal.

  • Norwaliza Abdul Wahab, Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

    Dr Norwaliza Abdul Wahab is a lecturer at the Faculty of Human Development at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia. She holds a Master's degree in Sociology in Education from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and a PhD in Sociology Education from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Actively committed to enhancing Orang Asli education, her areas of expertise include Sociology Education and Indigenous Studies. She engages in research, has contributed to various national and international academic publications, and has been awarded multiple research grants.

  • Nurul Farhani Che Ghani, Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 35400 Tapah Road, Perak, Malaysia.

    Nurul Farhani Che Ghani is an English lecturer at MARA University of Technology (UiTM), Malaysia. Her research is situated in the field of English language, Humanities and Technology with a special focus on English as a second language, aboriginal studies and the use of technology in teaching and learning.

  • Nurul Shatirah Zainol, Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.

    Nurul Shatirah Zainol was a Graduate Research Assistant for a FRGS Research Grant project 2021. She achieved her Master in Applied Language and Bachelor of English with Communication, which both qualifications allowed her to explore the research niche involving the study of language field. Her research interests also include the fields of gender studies, indigenous studies, cultural studies, and other social studies fields. Along her service, she managed to publish several academic papers, which contributed to the corpus of studies related to indigenous people, gender, and gender equality fields.

References

Amnesty International. (2023). Why it’s important to speak out for women’s rights. Amnesty. www.amnesty.org.https://www.amnesty.org/en/whatwedo/discrimination/womensrights/#:~:text=These%20include%20the%20right%20to

Asri, M. A. M., Roddin, R., & Hariri, T. I. A. A. (2018). Kejayaan penglibatan golongan wanita komuniti orang asli suku kaum Mah Meri di dalam bidang keusahawanan. Online Jounal for TVET Practitioners, 3(SI), 1-8.

Bhardwaj, P. (2019). Types of sampling in research. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, 5(3), 157-163.

Bhandari, P. M. (2024). Feminisms in Social Sciences. IntechOpen.

Burgos-Ayala, A., Jiménez-Aceituno, A., Torres-Torres, A. M., Rozas-Vásquez, D., & Lam, D. P. M. (2020). Indigenous and local knowledge in environmental management for human-nature connectedness: A leverage points perspective. Ecosystems and People, 16(1), 290–303.

Coluzzi, P., Riget, P. N., & Xiaomei, W. (2017). Language vitality among the Orang Asli of Malaysia: The case of the Mah Meri on Telo’ Gunjeng (Carey Island, Selangor). International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2017(244), 137–161.

EIGE. (2022). Gendered patterns in use of new technologies. European Institute for Gender Equality. https://eige.europa.eu/publications/gender-equality-index-2020-report/gendered-patterns-use-new-technologies

JAKOA. (2022). Aboriginal population statistics 2022. Orang Asli Welfare Department. https://www.jakoa.gov.my

Jamal, M., & Ganapathy, M. (2021). Framing the actors though thematic structures: The case of the Malaysian Orang Asli. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(2), 249-258.

Jegatesen, G. (2017). Indigenous women and gender roles: Migrant Orang Asli women in the Klang Valley, Malaysia [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Research Repository RMIT University.

Lorber, J. (2011). Gender inequality feminist theories and politics (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Galsanjigmed, E., & Sekiguchi, T. (2023). Challenges women experience in leadership careers: An integrative review. Merits, 3(2), 366-389.

Haque, M. A., Choudhury, N., Ahmed, S. M. T., Farzana, F. D., Ali, M., Naz, F., Siddiqua, T. J., Raihan, M. J., Rahman, S. S., Faruque, A. S. G., & Ahmed, T. (2022). Enhanced women’s decision-making power after the Suchana intervention in north-eastern Bangladesh: A cluster randomized pre-post study. BMJ Open, 12(8), e054148.

Panakaje, N., Kulal, A., Pandavarakallu, M. T., & Jaleel, A. (2021). Impact of government welfare schemes on empowerment of minority women in Karnataka. International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences, 6(2), 191-203.

Ranjan, R. (2019). Understanding feminism. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies, 6(4), 120-122.

Saleemi, S., & Kofol, C. (2022). Women’s participation in household decisions and gender equality in children’s education: Evidence from rural households in Pakistan. World Development Perspectives, 25(1), 1-10.

Sawalludin, A. F., Jia Min, C. L., & Ishar, M. I. (2020). The struggle of Orang Asli in education: Quality of education. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(1), 46–51.

Shaikh, S. S. (2017). Evaluating the awareness of women’ rights in public sector universities. Grassroots, 51(2), 309-318.

Sidiq, R. S. S., & Achmad, R. W. (2020). Gender aspects in remote indigenous community empowerment program in Indonesia. Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 12(6), 2104–2109.

Sobha, K. V. (2021). A study on women empowerment in India. International Journal for Modern Trends in Science and Technology, 7(11), 120–124.

Stewart, G. (2018). What does “indigenous” mean, for me? Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(8), 740–743.

Wook, I. (2016). The Orang Asli in peninsular Malaysia and the recognition of their land rights under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 4(3), 1-23.

Yahaya, F. H., & Yahaya, L. S. (2014). The empowerment of Orang Asli women in the tourism industry in Lenggong, Perak. SHS Web of Conferences, 12(8), 01072.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-31

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2: Journal of Nusantara Studies(JONUS)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Exploring feminism and gender equality among Orang Asli for women empowerment in Malaysia. (2025). Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS), 10(2), 203-221. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol10iss2pp203-221