By: Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports
04 DECEMBER 2008, 9:40 a.m. at Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Good morning
Ambassador Kesavapany, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you on a subject matter that has always been of special interest to me. I find each day of my work fulfilling as I am directly involved in advancing the interests of women in Singapore and things that women traditionally cared a lot about, like family, children, marriage, parenting and even what women want men to do more!
Politics
It is important to empower women to participate in decision-making at the community and national levels. The Singapore government welcomes women to leadership positions based on meritocracy. In the domain of politics, for example, female representation in the Singapore Parliament has been increasing. Women make up 24.5 percent of the Singapore Parliament today. This percentage exceeds the Inter-Parliamentary Union?s world average of 18.3 percent[1].
The number of women holding public office has increased, especially in local government, at the higher levels of political participation. For example, women in Lao PDR, Timor-Leste and Vietnam have prided themselves in holding more than 25 percent of national parliamentary seats in 2007. Other Southeast Asian countries have between eight and 16 percent of seats held by women in national parliament[2].
Employment
As gender equality is the goal adopted by the international community and national governments, people's rights, responsibilities, social status and access to resources should not depend on their gender. This includes employment opportunities for women as well as men.
According to the internationally agreed commitments under the International Labour Organization (or ILO), some key international labour conventions for gender equality include: discrimination in employment, equal remuneration, workers with family responsibilities and maternity protection. The ILO reports that in 2006, the female labour force participation rate (or LFPR) is lower than males in all the countries covered. Vietnam and Thailand has the highest LFPR at 72 and 66 percent respectively. In comparison, the rate for other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, are below or around 50 percent.
In Singapore, the Government is committed to equal remuneration and treatment for work of equal value. We ratified a key ILO Convention on equal remuneration in 2002. The median monthly income for full-time employed females in Singapore last year was 87 percent that of males. It was 81.3 percent a decade ago[3]. Apart from Singapore, seven other Southeast Asian countries have ratified that Convention[4]Brunei, Myanmar and Timor-Leste., with the exclusion of
Fertility concerns
In recent years, there are women in Southeast Asia who have made great strides especially in the more developed economies in the region. Among especially the growing numbers of educated women, careers have taken priority and this has led to smaller family sizes and, consequently, a falling fertility rate ? a pressing concern for some governments, including Singapore. According to the World Fertility Patterns 2007, the world's fertility rate is 2.6. Of the 11 Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has the lowest total fertility rate at 1.3, followed by Vietnam at 1.9. The highest are Timor-Leste and Laos with a fertility rate of 4.7 and 4.6 respectively[5].
In order to boost fertility rates, a holistic enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package was announced in August this year. This aims to provide greater support for women and men who wish to marry, have children, pursue a career and continue to balance work and family commitments. The Package was deemed by many to be women-friendly as it addresses key challenges faced by Singaporean women.
Health
In the area of health, women suffer greater vulnerabilities than men. Women much earlier on in life face reproductive health problems. The battle against breast cancer is increasing following the trends in many developed countries. Every year, some 1,300 women in Singapore are diagnosed with breast cancer, adding to the increasing pool of women diagnosed with breast cancer here. Breast cancer rates have increased by about 25% in the last ten years[6] in Singapore.
In the less developed Southeast Asian countries, maternal mortality continues to record staggering high numbers because of poor access to good pre-natal and post-natal gynecological healthcare. For example in Timor-Leste, it is estimated that the maternal mortality rate is up to 660 for every 100,000 live births. We are fortunate that the rate is six in 100,000 in Singapore.[7]
Education
Education represents the most sustainable solution to level the playing field between different groups in society. In fact, one of the eight Millennium Development Goals committed by the United Nations is to achieve universal primary education by 2015. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (or Unicef) report in 2007, 115 million children of primary school age do not attend school, and 53 percent are girls.
The world literacy rates for youths (or those aged between 15 to 24) from 2000 to 2006 for males and females are 91 and 85 percent respectively. In general, the youth literacy rates for both genders in Southeast Asian countries are comparable and higher than the world average, with the exception of Cambodia and Lao PDR[8]. In Singapore, both girls and boys have equal access to quality education from young, and the youth literacy rate is 99 percent for both genders.
Though women in some Southeast Asian countries may have lower literacy rates than men, I note that a ''new gender gap'' has emerged in the newly developing countries in the region. For instance, in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and also Singapore, enrollment at the tertiary education institutions among females has been higher than males. The higher proportion of females in higher education has been said to have led to the flourishing of a range of non-governmental organizations focused on women's issues since the 1980s that have advocated women's equality in various arenas.
Conclusion
Women's empowerment and advancement in all spheres of life are crucial for the progress of society. To enable women to harmonize their multiple obligations to work and family, women need a total supportive approach encompassing policies, services and mindset change of the individual, family, employers, and the community.
The fact that all Southeast Asian countries have signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women demonstrates the commitment of governments in the region to advance and promote gender equality.
With increasing emphasis on enhancing the status and progress of women on each national government's agenda, I have every confidence that women in Southeast Asia can look towards a more promising future.
With that, I wish all of you a fruitful symposium. Thank you.
[1]
Source: http://www.ipu.org
[2]
Source : http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2008/pdf/Goal-03.pdf
[3] Source : Ministry of Manpower
[4]
Source: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/newratframeE.htm
[5]
Source: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldfertility2007/worldfertility2007.htm
[6] Source: Ministry of Health
[7] Source: UNICEF: The reported maternal mortality rate from 2000 to 2006 is 6.
[8] Cambodia: 88 and 79 percent for males and females respectively; Lao PDR: 83 and 75 percent respectively
MCYS SPEECH NO: 68/2008
DATE OF ISSUE: 04/12/2008