Kajian Malaysia (Jan 2010)
PERANAN WANITA MELAYU DALAM PROSES PENJAGAAN IBU BAPA TUA: DILEMA DAN CABARAN DALAM ERA GLOBALISASI (ROLES OF MALAY WOMEN IN THE PROCESS OF CARING FOR ELDERLY PARENTS: DILEMMA AND CHALLENGES IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION)
Abstract
Peningkatan bilangan warga tua (60 tahun ke atas) di beberapa negara Asia Tenggara termasuk Malaysia dan Indonesia semakin membimbangkan. Kepadatan penduduk warga tua di Malaysia dijangka akan meningkat kepada 2.2 juta orang pada tahun 2020. Statistik juga menunjukkan bahawa kadar kelahiran terus menurun beberapa dekad kebelakangan ini. Statistik ini menghuraikan satu fenomena global berkaitan dengan anak dewasa yang menjaga ibu bapa tua mereka. Fenomena anak dewasa yang menggalas beban penjagaan (kerjaya, menjaga keluarga sendiri, dan menjaga ibu bapa tua) kurang dikaji dan diperbincangkan. Artikel ini meninjau pengalaman penjagaan yang dilalui oleh anak dewasa (wanita) yang menjaga warga tua dengan menggunakan teori peranan. Pengumpulan data telah dilaksanakan terhadap 8 orang responden menggunakan kaedah temu bual mendalam dan 399 orang responden menggunakan kaedah tinjauan. Hasil kajian daripada kedua-dua pendekatan menunjukkan bahawa wanita lebih banyak terlibat dalam penjagaan warga tua. Ibu bapa tua juga mengharapkan bantuan dan sokongan daripada anak perempuan. Fenomena ini boleh memberi implikasi kepada kerjaya wanita, keluarga dan pembangunan negara. Artikel ini merumuskan bahawa dalam era globalisasi, majikan perlu mengambil kira masa anjal di tempat kerja, peningkatan sistem sokongan formal dan informal bagi membantu wanita dalam mengharungi dilema dan cabaran penjagaan warga tua, anak, keluarga dan kerjaya wanita, di samping untuk mencapai masyarakat penyayang dan budaya ikram yang boleh dipupuk seiring dengan pembangunan negara maju.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 projected to grow to 2.2 million by the year 2020. Statistics also shows 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.
