Actively championing women in society

Mr Roland Ng

President-Elect of SCCCI

Ms Quek Soo Boon

Chairperson of the Career Women’s Group

Dr Theyvendran

Chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Ms Helen Campos

Chairperson of SICCI’s Women Entrepreneurs Network

Excellencies

Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon to all of you.

Introduction

1. I am so happy to join you again to celebrate International Women’s Day and would like to thank the SCCCI’s Career Women’s Group (CWG) for inviting me.

2. Through the years, this event keeps growing in scale. This year, I understand that many members of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry are also participating. I am heartened by the collaboration and partnership between the two Chambers of Commerce.

3. In the spirit of International Women’s Day, we acknowledge the importance of women’s contributions and celebrate our achievements across business and society. The speakers and panellists we will hear from today are testimony to both.  They are businesswomen who have navigated through challenging environments to overcome the odds, and achieve success in their respective fields. We will also hear from panellists whose diverse contributions range from the community, social services, sports, to music, and they all have raised our country’s flag high.

4. While we celebrate the achievements of women, much more needs to be done to promote greater gender equality and for women’s advancement. I’m not shy to take a gender-based approach here, because the more I’m involved in women-related issues, the more I’m convinced that there are invisible barriers to our achievements – and I’ll explain them a little later. We face multi-faceted challenges; at home, in business and in society. These include having to balance between work and family, facing roadblocks to career progression or not having the resources or contacts to start their own businesses. Hence, “Women for Women” indeed is a worthy undertaking. We need to support one another, and to be active champions for women.

5. According to a survey that my Ministry has done, women tend to have fewer contacts and less diverse networks than men. Is it a surprise? Probably not, but the survey confirms our suspicions that the social networks out there are somehow is less accessible to us as women. We have relatively less access to the support and the opportunities to progress. Today’s event is therefore important to build awareness and the diversity here will help build stronger networks among women.  These networks facilitate the flow of information and resources so that women can overcome the barriers they face. We are all leaders in our respective fields, with our own spheres of influence. We should purposefully help each other extend our networks and get access to opportunities. So let us help one another to bring about positive changes for us women. Very often when I see successful women, we have a tendency to like to think that we are here because of meritocracy, because we deserve, because we have worked hard – that’s true. A lot of our achievements are due to our own hard work, and really the determination that we have shown for many years. But let’s not forget; that I’m sure if you asked around and reflected on your own journey, there have been many men and women who have given you that breakthrough in your lives. That breakthrough that has made a difference in your career, the person that had counselled you, that had encouraged you to take that next step. All I’m asking really, is to affirm the importance of such ‘nudging’, such opportunities, and let the rest have the benefit of these opportunities, of this access to networks. Do something for the other women behind you. And I’d like to suggest a few ways for your consideration.

Promoting greater gender equality at home

6. To create shifts in the collective mind-sets and promote greater gender equality, we should begin at Home. We should encourage our daughters to reach for their dreams and aspirations. We should also teach our sons to shoulder greater domestic responsibilities too. They will grow up to be men and women who value familial ties once they have their own families, more equal gender roles in family and believe in sharing household and parenting responsibilities. In such an environment, women will be better supported in both their career aspirations and family commitments. Men will be more engaged fathers in the raising of children and more supportive spouses.

Increasing women's participation in the workplace

7. At the workplace, we should build a more conducive environment that supports women’s employment and career development. For example, we should support the re-hiring of women who have taken time off from their careers to care for their families. We should ensure that these women still have equal opportunity in company leadership programmes. We should also advocate for other more women-friendly HR practices which include part-time or flexi-work arrangements.

8. These are value-adding propositions, not only for women, but for businesses and the economy. Businesses will benefit from a higher female workforce participation; this is necessary, in view of our society’s ageing population and imminent manpower constraints. The economy will also benefit from a wider and more diverse talent pool, from which to hire the best personnel for the job. In navigating through a challenging economic environment and technological disruptions, having a diverse workforce with a wide range of ideas, skills and experience is necessary for innovation and success.

Championing women in business

9. Beyond championing for more female participation at the workplace, we should also create corporate cultures that recognise the importance of gender diversity across its leadership and in its Boards.

10. We should advocate for more structured and formal programmes that identify and develop a pipeline of female talent. These would include training and mentorship programmes as well as networking opportunities. Steps should also be taken to effectively measure and report on how well women are progressing through the workforce and into senior leadership.

11. In addition, the female representation in Boards still remains low, despite research and proven links between gender diversity on boards and better financial performance of companies. In Singapore, only 9.7% of board seats across our listed companies are held by women. The Diversity Action Committee was formed in 2014 to raise awareness on the issue and aims to build up the representation of female Directors on Boards. We need to augment these efforts by mentoring women and nominating those with potential for director positions.

12. We should also support women who have chosen to start their own businesses. The CRIB Pte Ltd, is a good example of a local initiative by women to help fellow women become successful entrepreneurs and to find flexible work arrangements in start-ups. Through CRIB’s initiatives, women have access to a strong network of successful and like-minded women, as well as various resources including mentorship from industry experts, to create a successful and viable business. There’s an upcoming Summit that’s organised by CRIB, please look out for it if you have not signed up. I hope that you will join in and support them, it’s a worthy cause.

Women in need in society

13. Beyond business, we should also ensure that the vulnerable women in society are receiving support. These include, for example, women who face violence at home; divorcees with primary care of children as well as elderly single or widowed women who may not have family support. We should work towards ensuring that they have access to all-rounded support including financial assistance and various accessible and affordable community services. This will help, to lighten their burden and support their well-being.

Conclusion

14. Women have come a long way in Singapore. Yet we continue to face obstacles in realizing our full potential. We need you to improve the outcome of women in our society. I hope that you answer the call to take proactive actions in promoting a more gender equal society; and more advancement for women.

15. I would like to congratulate the CWG for putting together today’s event, under the stewardship of Ms Quek Soo Boon and a dedicated team of committee members.  The CWG has, since its formation in 1994, been contributing much to women’s development and I hope that you will continue in your good work, centred in your four core values of 德 (Virtue), 智 (Wisdom), 群 (Fellowship) and 美 (Grace), which have guided you steadily over the years.

16. I trust we will have a meaningful and fruitful session, and I very much look forward to the discussions with the panellists. And to all of you women sitting out here, have a wonderful International Women’s Day. Thank you very much.