Good Afternoon,
Honourable Chairperson
Madam Meng Xiaosi, Leader of All-China Women’s Federation
Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
2 On behalf of the Singapore delegation, I would like to place on record our appreciation to the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) for organising the Second China-ASEAN High Level Women’s Forum. Thank you for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements to make our stay in Nanning a comfortable and memorable one.
3 I am delighted to join you today to celebrate the progress of women and to discuss national best practices on enhancing the well-being and advancement of women.
Progress of Women in ASEAN
4 ASEAN is a platform for enhanced regional co-operation and support. As a grouping of 10 countries with more than 500 million people, ASEAN has taken concrete steps to narrow the development gaps that exist between member countries. These include initiatives such as the Vientiane Action Plan and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration. Singapore remains a firm supporter of such programmes. Regular meetings to discuss gender equality issues provide governments with the opportunity to coordinate efforts and share best practices and expertise.
5 In August this year, Singapore hosted the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly meeting. One of the AIPA Committees is the Women’s Parliamentarians of AIPA which was formed in 1998 to ensure that specific concerns to women are put on the agenda of AIPA’s General Assembly. Together with our ASEAN sisters, we have benefited from our active participation and sharing at regional and international meetings, including the ASEAN Committee on Women (or ACW). Singapore hosted the 5th ACW Meeting in 2005.
Women’s Role and Developments in Singapore
6 The world is constantly changing. With women forming more than half the population, we must continue to press on with our commitment to develop this important human capital. Women have to keep up with the changing socio-economic landscape in order not to be left behind. With emerging concerns such as globalisation, trade liberalisation and the advent of info-comm technology (ICT), the empowerment of women is vital for sustainable progress and development. It is no longer the norm to stick to traditional gender roles where the men work and the women only look after the family.
7 According to the Gender Empowerment Measure, which measures inequalities between men’s and women’s opportunities in a country, Singapore is ranked 16 out of 177 countries in the 2007/2008 UN Human Development Report, up from 18 in 2006. This reflects the progress Singapore women have made in areas such as life expectancy, educational attainment, economic and political participation.
8 Singapore provides an equal-opportunity environment for both women and men to contribute and exercise fundamental freedoms in the political, economic and social spheres. The government is committed to achieving goals set in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as to its obligations as a state party of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
9 Research by International Labour Organisation (ILO) shows that there is a direct correlation between female labour force participation and the development of a country. Under the Beijing Platform for Action, the three main indicators of women’s progress are education, employment and women’s participation in politics.
Women in the Public and People Sectors
10 It is important to empower women to participate in decision-making processes at the community and national levels. The Singapore government welcomes women to leadership positions based on meritocracy. I am happy to report that female representation in the Singapore Parliament has been increasing. Women make up 24.5 percent of the Singapore Parliament today. This percentage exceeds Inter-Parliamentary Union or IPU’s world average of 18.3 percent.
11 When I was elected in 1984, there were only three women parliamentarians. Today, 23 of the 93 Parliamentarians are women.
12 In terms of community involvement, the Women’s Desk of my Ministry works closely with three key mega women groups which represent more than 90 percent of women’s groups in Singapore. Together, they work to address issues and challenges faced by women in Singapore. One key initiative under the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations is the Women’s Register, which encourages and identifies women for leadership positions.
Women and Education
13 Education represents the most sustainable solution to level the playing field between different groups in society. All Singaporean girls and boys have equal access to quality education from young. In 2007, the government invested 3.4 percent of GDP (or US$5.5 billion) in education.
14 To prepare the younger generation for technology in our daily lives, all our schools are equipped with computers and students have easy access to technology and online resources.
15 I am happy to share that more than 9 in 10 women in Singapore are literate. The literacy rate for resident females aged 15 years and over has improved from almost 90 percent in 2001 to nearly 94 percent in 2007. Female students make up half the full-time student intake at the local universities today.
Women and Employment
16 In 2007, 54 percent of our resident female population aged 15 and over were in the workforce. In tandem with the improving educational profiles of women, women now make up 38.5 percent of Managers, Professionals, Technicians and Associate Professionals. Women have also made in-roads into the traditionally male-dominated IT industry. Today, a third of all IT professionals are women. Women are entering male-dominated professions such as judiciary, engineering, medicine and accounting.
17 In recognition of our commitment to equal remuneration and treatment for work of equal value, Singapore ratified a key ILO Convention in 2002. The Tripartite Declaration on Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Performing Work of Equal Value, made by employers, unions and government, further affirmed Singapore’s commitment to ensure that women are fairly paid for work of similar value as men. The income gap between men and women in Singapore has narrowed. The median monthly income for full-time employed females last year was 87 percent that of males. It was 81.3 percent a decade ago.
Singapore's Initiatives to Address Work-Life Challenges
18 Responding to the 24/7 busy work culture, the Singapore government encourages and promotes work-life harmony for all Singaporeans. For instance, the Civil Service introduced the five-day workweek in 2004, and there are various flexible work policies, leave benefits and employee support schemes to help staff harmonise their personal, family and work commitments. Such initiatives are especially welcomed by working women as they enable them to manage work and family commitments.
19 The promotion of work-life harmony in Singapore is now spearheaded by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, which comprises multiple stakeholders such as the Singapore National Employers Federation, the National Trades Union Congress, key human resource institutions and the government.
20 The government on its part has set up a Work-Life Works! Fund to help companies implement effective work-life strategies. It also presents the Work-Life Excellence Awards to recognise employers with effective work-life strategies and programmes. Enlightened employers themselves form the Employer Alliance to promote work-life harmony to fellow employers in Singapore.
21 As the biggest employer in Singapore, the government has appointed a Work-Life Advocate and Work-Life Ambassador for every Ministry. The Work-Life Advocate champions work-life measures, while the Work-Life Ambassador facilitates the agency’s day-to-day work-life programmes.
22 In recognition of our efforts, Singapore was conferred the Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award by the US-based Alliance for Work-Life Progress in 2005. We were told that Singapore is the first country outside of the U.S. to receive the award.
2008 Marriage and Parenthood Package
23 On 17 August this year, our Prime Minister announced a holistic enhanced Marriage and Parenthood (or M&P) Package, which provides greater support for women and men who wish to marry, have children, pursue a career and have a life outside of work and family. Although getting married and having children are personal choices, our surveys show that more than 90 percent of our young people want to marry and have children. Most women also want to have a career after marriage.
24 The heightened emphasis on work-life balance in this M&P Package enables women to integrate their work, personal and family commitments. It is specially tailored to meet women’s preference to have both a career and family. It is therefore deemed by many to be women-friendly because it addresses key challenges Singaporean women face by facilitating better work-life balance through longer paid maternity and childcare leave for both parents, providing quality, affordable and accessible centre-based childcare options, and providing financial support for parents to raise and care for their children.
25 Under this M&P Package, apart from the increased tax incentives for parents, working women enjoy greater tax benefits from the Working Mother’s Child Relief. The Relief is 15 percent and 20 percent of the mother’s earned income for the first and second child respectively, and 25 percent per child for the third and subsequent child, up to a maximum of 100 percent of the mother’s earned income. This is definitely good news to working mothers.
26 The enhanced Baby Bonus is also welcomed by many. The S$4,000 cash gift for the first and second child and S$6,000 for the third and fourth child help meet the increased expenses during pregnancy and birth. The Children Development Account, which is a dollar-for-dollar government matching contribution, helps pay for the child’s educational and medical needs.
27 To many working Singapore women, the main highlight of the M&P Package is the extended government-paid maternity leave, which is extended from 12 weeks to 16 weeks. New mothers have the flexibility of taking the last eight weeks of their maternity leave over 12 months from the birth of the child. There are other leave benefits, such as childcare and unpaid infant care leave.
28 The other measure under this M&P Package is the increased subsidy for working mothers who enroll their children at centre-based childcare. This universal subsidy for working mothers is increased from S$150 to S$300 per month. The subsidy for centre-based infant care is also increased from S$400 to S$600 per month per child. This enables women to pursue a range of childcare options, continue working and have a life.
29 The emphasis on the role of fathers in the care functions of children and the home is particularly timely and welcomed because women often bear the double burden of work and family. Women welcome the initiatives to promote shared parenting responsibility and greater involvement of husbands and fathers in the home and care functions of their children.
Conclusion
30 Women’s empowerment and advancement in all spheres of life are crucial for the progress of society. The Government cannot do it alone. To enable women to harmonise 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. This involves the concerted and seamless partnership by the public, private and people sectors. In Singapore, we call this the “Many Helping Hands” or the 3P approach. Only a total and seamless 3P partnership approach, can bring about that supportive environment for sustainable empowerment of women.
31 As a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, it is never too late to begin. And having started, we must continue to adapt and improve so that fellow sisters can be the best that they can be at each stage of their life’s journey.
32 On this note, I wish all of you a useful session of learning and sharing at this Forum. Thank you.
