Your Excellency Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development,
Fellow ministers,
Distinguished speakers and delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
INTRODUCTION
As mentioned by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin yesterday, changing mindsets is also a bottoms-up process and we women can influence the community. We just need the conviction and passion to work with women of all levels including those in the villages. I also agree with Minister Shahrizat that companies today need among others, flexibility, innovation, openness to new ideas and diversity.
In the case of Singapore, with virtually no natural resources, the Government invests heavily in the development of its citizens, both men and women. Women have made significant progress in Singapore. According to the United Nations’ (UN’s) Human Development Report 20091, Singapore ranked 16th out of 182 countries for gender empowerment. Singapore is ranked 56th in the Global Gender Gap Index 20102. Before I go on, please allow me to share a video on women in Singapore.
The docu-drama you have just watched traces the significant milestones in the progress of women in Singapore. It is a reflection of our women’s journey of courage, determination, and empowerment.
SINGAPORE’S APPROACH TO GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality in Singapore is founded on the principle of meritocracy with equal opportunities for men and women. All citizens have equal access to resources, such as education and healthcare, so that both men and women can pursue their goals and contribute to society.
Women’s rights are protected in the Constitution as well as legislation like the Employment Act, the Children and Young Persons Act, the Penal Code and the Women’s Charter.
The Women’s Charter governs matters relating to marriage and divorce under civil law. Enacted in 1961, the Women’s Charter is a landmark piece of legislation that provides the legal basis for equality between husband and wife. My ministry is in the process of amending the Women’s Charter to strengthen the enforcement of maintenance orders and to mitigate the impact of divorces.
Besides domestic legal protections, Singapore also has international obligations which advance the status of women. Singapore is a State Party to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and is committed to achieving the goals in the Beijing Platform for Action. Singapore also ratified the International Labour Organization Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration.
KEY DOMESTIC STATISTICS ON WOMEN’S PROGRESS
Women and Education
The Government provides all Singaporean children, girls and boys, equal access to quality education. As a result, Singapore has achieved a literacy rate of 95% for women3. Female students make up more than half the full-time intake at local universities and are well-represented in courses with traditionally ‘male’ subjects. Girls have equal opportunity to win bursaries and scholarships, for example, the President’s Scholarship. This year, for the first time, a woman was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship.
Women and Employment
More women in Singapore are choosing to work. Last year, 57% of women were in the workforce4 . Women now make up 38.5% of Managers, Professionals, Technicians and Associate Professionals.
The gender income gap has narrowed. In 2009, the median monthly income of full-time employed females was 92% that of males. In fact, some of our women in the younger age groups are earning more than their male counterparts.
Women are also increasingly contributing to businesses in Singapore, though this can be improved; 24% of employers in 2009 were women.
Women in Politics and Decision-Making Positions
We are seeing an increasing number of women entering the Singapore Parliament; 23% of whom are women5. Women constitute 56% of the 74,000-strong civil service today, forming 62% of officers in the top two categories – Superscale and Division I. At the top leadership level, six of the 22 Permanent Secretaries were female.
CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN IN SINGAPORE
Women have come a long way but there are still many challenges ahead. With increasing urbanisation, globalisation, and the rise of the 24-7 economy, lifestyles and family structures have changed.
A key concern for women in Singapore is work-life balance. Family support is crucial and we need more enlightened husbands to pull their weight at home. Otherwise, women will just not marry and Singapore’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which was 1.22 last year, will continue to decline. Young fathers in Singapore are getting more involved in their children’s lives but many are still very traditional. Mindsets and stereotypes take time to change and this is one area we would like to see a quantum leap in.
MEETING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN
My Ministry works closely with other agencies on many initiatives to try and address these challenges, through the “Many Helping Hands” or 3P (public, private and people sectors) approach.
Pro-Family Environment and Infrastructure
The people-sector led and government-supported National Family Council was set up as an advisory and consultative body for family-related policies, issues and programmes, to promote the building of resilient families.
Another people-sector led Council, the Businesses for Families Council, was set up to encourage businesses to adopt strategies, infrastructure and services to cater to families.
Mindset Change and Public Education
The Government promotes shared parenting through the national fathers movement ‘Dads for Life’ to mobilise and involve fathers in their children's lives. My Ministry had invited the late Yasmin Ahmad, to produce and direct two groundbreaking and very popular campaign TV commercials, “Red Shoes” and “Funeral”. We will continue with such efforts to reinforce the message that family comes first.
Marriage and Parenthood Package
The Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package was introduced by the government in August 2008 to support parents. The measures address key challenges women face through providing, among others, longer paid maternity leave; childcare leave for both parents; financial support; and quality, affordable and accessible centre-based childcare options. The Government provides monthly subsidies for centre-based childcare and infant care.
Raising our TFR and growing our population is a top priority for the Government. In line with this, we are setting up the National Population and Talent Division headed by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng under the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate our population and talent policies across different ministries.
Work-life Harmony
The promotion of work-life harmony in Singapore is spearheaded by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, which comprises key stakeholders such as employers, unions, human resource institutions and the government. The Singapore government provides a Work-Life Works! (WoW!) Fund to assist companies in implementing work-life strategies.
The private sector set up a network of corporations called the Employer Alliance which is committed to promoting an enabling work environment for work-life integration. The Employer Alliance offers work-life resources and consultation to its members, and champions work-life best practices in different industries.
Training and Employability
To improve employability and encourage women to return to the workforce, training and re-skilling programmes such as the Back2Work with U Programme by our National Trades Union Congress and those by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency are readily provided. They will also benefit from existing funds such as the Life-Long-Learning Fund and the National Productivity Fund to upgrade their skills, as well as Workfare Training Support.
CONCLUSION
These are just some examples of what can be achieved through people, private and public sectors partnerships. Through these strategic partnerships, we can enable women to harmonise their multiple obligations without incurring significant opportunity costs and empower them to fulfil their potential. Thank you.
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2The Gender Gap Index measures gender-based gaps regarding access to resources and opportunities. Four areas were compared: economic participation (Singapore: at the 20th spot), educational attainment (103rd), health and survival (100th), and political empowerment (79th).
3Literacy rate of resident females aged 15 years and over.
5Based on data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in June 2010, Singapore was ranked 45 out of 186 countries in terms of the percentage of women in the Lower or Single House. Singapore’s 23% of women in Parliament also currently exceeds IPU’s world average of 19% (both Houses combined):
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm