Lee Min Hui

Min Hui is a social policy researcher and an expert on gender equality policies focused on promoting more inclusive policymaking in Malaysia, particularly for women and girls from all backgrounds. Her area of work involves bridging research with advocacy towards realising evidence-based and gender-sensitive policies in areas like women’s representation in politics and the workforce, the care economy, ageing, gender mainstreaming, and social welfare systems.

Currently, Min Hui serves as a Gender Consultant at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Malaysia, where she oversees the country office’s gender portfolio to address issues of gender-based violence and advancing women’s socioeconomic inclusion.

Before this, she led the Social Policy and National Integration division at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. There, she contributed to key policy papers, like “Building a Cradle-to-Grave Care Economy” which looks at how Malaysia can better support women with care responsibilities through better social protection and care infrastructure.

She is also the co-editor and one of the authors of the book ‘Where Do We Go Work-Wise: Malaysia’s Labour Landscape’ where she analysed how Malaysia can better support women by putting in place family-friendly workplace policies. In particular, she believes in the need to bring an intersectional lens to policymaking and research – which is predicated on the understanding that different aspects of a person’s identity such as gender, race, class, disability, and age, shape their lives – and that policies must be inherently responsive to these circumstances.

Min Hui has also contributed to local and international media outlets on gender equality issues, with her work featured on platforms such as Astro Awani, BFM, and Channel News Asia. While Min Hui remains a young and upcoming advocate, she is committed to researching, writing, and advocating for a more gender-equal Malaysia.

In the pursuit of gender equality, creating meaningful change is neither easy nor straightforward. Progress is often achieved incrementally, in small steps, and is fragile—vulnerable to setbacks because of the deeply entrenched gendered norms we live with. For me, making an impact means persistently advocating for change, using whatever agency you have, no matter how small and insignificant that step may seem. It is about building on the work of the incredible leaders and women who came before me, and moving forward, together.