"CELEBRATING WOMEN - CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES" AND THE LAUNCH OF WISE (WOMEN INTERACTIVE SERIES)

MCYS SPEECH NO: 10/2008 DATE OF ISSUE: 20/02/2008

SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON,MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, AT THE SEMINAR ON "CELEBRATING WOMEN - CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES" AND THE LAUNCH OF WISE (WOMEN INTERACTIVE SERIES), 20 FEBRUARY 2008, 7.00 PM AT NTUC CENTRE Mdm Halimah Yacob, Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC & Director, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat, Ms Diana Chia, Vice-Chairperson, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening, INTRODUCTION I am delighted to be here this evening for the launch of the Women Interactive Series or WISE. I congratulate the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat and the Legal Services Department for organising this Series to educate and engage women on prevailing issues they face at various stages of their personal, working and family life. This excellent initiative serves three objectives. Firstly, for women to voice their aspirations and concerns. Secondly, for NTUC to monitor socio-economic change and trends affecting women so that it could recommend timely and appropriate measures to improve women’s well-being and employment opportunities. And thirdly, to ensure effective integration of women at all levels of decision-making in the trade union movement. NTUC hopes to reach out to at least 2,000 women through workshops and talks which will also cover provisions in the Employment Act, the Women’s Charter, the Penal Code, the Children Development Co-Savings Act, the UN Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW for short) and the ILO Convention No 100 on Equal Remuneration with its commitment on equal pay for equal work. No longer can gender be seen merely as a soft social or human rights issue. It also has economic impact. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP for short), estimated that the Asia-Pacific region is losing as much as US$ 47 billion of output per year from a lack of female labour force participation. And as much as US$ 30 billion because of the gender gaps in education systems. The theme of today’s seminar, “Celebrating Women – Challenges, Opportunities and Responsibilities” is timely because there is much for Singapore women to celebrate. Let me start off by highlighting some significant progress made by our women in recent years. PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Quality of Life Singapore women are now better educated. Our literacy rate for resident females aged 15 years and over was 93.3% in 2006, up from 89% in 2000. Women now make up half of Singapore’s student population in tertiary institutions and are well-represented in traditionally male-dominated courses such as engineering, accountancy and mathematics. More women are joining the workforce – the share of females in the labour force has increased from 50% in 2000 to 54% in 2007. 60% of single females are working while 56% of married females are working. More are climbing up the corporate ladder, in both public and private sectors. Women now make up 40% of Managers, Professionals and Technicians, up from 36% in 2000. A number of women leaders from other countries, including some from developed countries, told me that the percentage surpassed theirs. While males still dominate the business scene, female entrepreneurs have been making their mark. In October 2006, two female entrepreneurs (out of a total of 16) were awarded the Top Entrepreneur Award at the Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 - a Rotary-ASME Award ceremony. They were Mdm Annie Gan Giok Em of Jian Huang Construction Co Pte Ltd, and Ms Yvette Chiang of Rustic Nirvana Pte Ltd. In 2006, Mrs Helen Khoo of Wing Tai Retail Pte Ltd emerged as one of the three winners of the International Management Action Awards, administered by the Chartered Management Institute, Singapore and the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (Spring Singapore). The number[1] of women-only professional and business networks is growing. Of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations’ (SCWO) 53 member organisations, 16 of them cater to business and professional women. One of the more established associations, the Financial Women's Association of Singapore has seen its membership figures almost double to 400 members since 2005, following the growth in the financial industry. The wage gap between women and men has also narrowed. In 2006, women earned 86% of what the men were earning, up from 83% a decade ago. This income level gap is comparable to that of a number of developed countries in the West, although we still lagged behind countries such as Norway, France, Australia and Portugal. And in the younger age groups, some of our women are earning more than their male counterparts. Females within the age group 25 to 29 earned higher median gross wage than males in three major occupational groups, namely, managers (10.8 per cent more), professionals (6.7 percent more), and sales and service workers (31 percent more) in June 2006[2]. In politics, 24.5% or 23 out of 94 Members of Parliament are women. Prior to the 2006 General Election, 16% or 15 out of 93 elected Members of Parliament (MPs) were women. Within the civil service, 57% of senior officers in Division 1 and Superscale level are women. Our women have access to quality healthcare. The life expectancy rate for women has increased from 80.1 years in 2000 to 81.8 years in 2006. For males, life expectancy was 78 years in 2006, a difference of almost 4 years. In terms of causes of death, females registered a higher proportion in cerebrovascular disease as well as kidney and disorders of the urinary system.[3] Singapore is lagging behind in total fertility rate. The total fertility rate was 1.26 in 2006, a slight increase of 0.01 from 2005. This is low especially in comparison with Australia (1.81), France (2.0) and the Scandinavian countries – Norway 1.9, Sweden 1.85, and Denmark 1.85. Our women are also having children later. The peak age-group has moved from 25-29 years in 1996, to the age-group 30-34 years in 2006[4]. Our women also enjoy comprehensive legal protection under the law and equal civil rights. TURNING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES However, despite these achievements, challenges remain. In a world where innovative ideas, information and creativity become increasingly valuable, women can be employed in an increasing variety of jobs. And more will attain executive positions. We need to do more to increase the number of women in decision-making positions and as entrepreneurs. According to a recent study conducted by Mastercard, there is a significant gender gap in entrepreneurial activity of 8.76%. Women are also less able to sustain their business beyond 42 months – 2.5% compared to 7.49% for men. And with women now living longer than their husbands, we can expect to see an increase in the incidence of widowhood and lonely aged women. The younger women need to be prepared to take of their aged relatives. And they too need to be prudent and be financially prepared for their old age. We also need to help these women age actively. Today, there are more opportunities for skills upgrading and training to keep us up-to-date with workplace changes. This is especially important for women who want to reintegrate into the workforce. They have to upgrade relevant skills such as computer literacy and language. Companies who wish to rehire these women should have a database of employable former women employees. This will enable the companies to keep track of such employees and help them to refresh their skills and knowledge to help them re-enter the workforce. More Dual-career Couples With better education and training opportunities, we are seeing a rise in the number of dual-career couples. In 2005, dual-career couples formed 44% of married couples in Singapore, up from 41% in 2000 and 27% in 1980[5]. Their average monthly income was $7,600, twice the income of sole-career couples where only one person, usually the husband, was working. Interestingly, the wives were also contributing an increasingly bigger share to the family income. The average income share of working wives among dual-career couples increased from 42% in 2000 to 44% in 2005. Among all dual-career couples in 2005, 35% obtained at least half of their combined income from wives’ earnings. This shows the importance of the working wives’ contribution to the family income. With more women in the workforce, we need to work toward providing even more accessible, affordable and quality family-friendly support services such as child care and elder care services to help women transit more smoothly from and into the work force. The Tripartite Workgroup on Enhancing Employment Choices for Women, chaired by Mdm Halimah, will be coming up with recommendations to further enable and empower women to make viable work options which harmonise their personal, family and work commitments. The preliminary findings of a 2007 survey of 3,000 (Singapore Citizens and PRs) baby boomers in Singapore, showed that about 30% of female respondents had never worked before. This could affect their financial situation in their old age. The study also indicated that 42% of economically active female Singapore citizens and 50% of economically active female PRs preferred to work during their post-retirement years, either on a part-time or flexi-time basis. While the key reason cited was to receive an income, the respondents also indicated their wish to keep active and to do something meaningful and stay connected. More details on this study will be released later. Skills Training I encourage women to learn new skills continuously so that we can stay relevant in this fast changing knowledge-based economy. Let me share with you what a lady in my constituency is doing to improve her family’s financial situation. Mdm Wong Siew Buay used to distribute newspapers every morning and collect cardboard in her free time. She earns about $290 per month to supplement her husband’s variable income of $950 a month. With their household income of about $1,200, they support four school-going children. Mdm Wong decided to enrol in a Certificate in Business Administration last October. The PSB course is held twice weekly, from 7-10pm and she is sponsored by CDAC. Mdm Wong will graduate in Nov 2008 and she looks forward to becoming an Administrative Assistant, with an expected monthly income of $900 to $1,000. This will double their current household income. Mdm Wong’s family is supportive of her studies. Her perseverance in improving herself is an inspiration to us. It is an example of the important role women play in enhancing the family’s financial security and in fostering self-reliance. The Women’s Register With more women returning to work, there is also a need to ensure that women are given more avenues to take on leadership positions, where they can make the most impact. This evening, I am pleased to release the latest updates on the number, profile and outcome of the Women’s Register, which is a bold initiative by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations with the support of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre. Launched on International Women’s Day in March last year, the Register is an online database resource aimed at increasing the level of female representation in leadership positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. There were 306 registrants as at 31 December 2007 and 27 corporate users. 4% of the registrants have PhDs, 28% with Master’s degrees, 44% bachelor’s degrees and 11% are diploma holders. In terms of occupation, 42% of the 306 registrants are managers, 18% executives, 3% doctors, 7% entrepreneurs, 14% trainers/teachers. The impressive educational and occupational profile reflects the talent pool which the public, private and people sectors can tap for committees and boards. To date, more than 20% of the corporate users have tapped the register to identify women leaders to become mentors and board members. I understand that more than 80 Register members have volunteered their services for the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) Hotline. The SCWO and the Singapore Institute of Directors are also exploring opportunities to include suitable registrants on boards. This is cause for celebration because the increase in the number of talented women on executive committees and boards bodes well for women’s progress and leadership. CONCLUSION We recognise that there is no one best way for women to lead their lives. Each and every one of us has a choice to make for ourselves, whether it is in the workplace or at home – as wives, mothers, daughters, workers, or leaders. What is important is that we are equipped with the right skills and mindset to ensure that we are well-placed to cope with the challenges and remain as active, healthy members of society. For ultimately, when women have the opportunity to be the best that they can be, our families, our community and our nation will flourish. It now gives me great pleasure to launch WISE - the Women Interactive Series. I wish all of you a fruitful evening of learning and sharing. Thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] "Women-only business and professional networks sprout", 26 Nov 2007, www.straitstimes.com [2] Source: Report on Wages in Singapore 2006, released in June 2007. [3] Source: Report on Registration of Births and Deaths 2006 [4] Source: Population Trends 2007 [5] Source: "Trends in Dual-Career Couples, 2005". Singapore Department of Statistics, December 2006.