A caller’s complaint on a radio show sparked debate over the struggle to balance work with care burdens, as well as criticism from single peers
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 12:52pm, 13 Aug 2026Employed mothers in Malaysia have defended emergency leave rights amid debate over unfair workplace expectations and the challenge of balancing family and long hours.The dispute erupted after a woman complained on live radio that colleagues with children were taking emergency leave too often, piling extra work on their single counterparts.
The anonymous caller told the hosts of Hot FM’s breakfast show on Tuesday that she was fed up with a female colleague repeatedly using emergency leave when her child fell ill.
“I’m angry because why do women keep taking leave over their children,” she said. “Be reasonable and remember that not everyone who is single has free time.”
She said the teammate took leave about four times since the previous week, forcing others to shoulder her duties.
Hot FM presenter Muhammad Azmir Selamat, better known as AG Azmeer, pushed back against the caller, saying working parents were often juggling household finances, childcare and employment at the same time.
