Women leaders can play a leading role in the community

Welcome Address by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at the Young Women's Leadership Connection's 5th Anniversary Dinner

1. A very good evening. It is my pleasure to be here today with all of you again. I always look forward to this gathering which brings together everyone in the YWLC family. This includes those from the first ExCo when we started out under the leadership of founding chairperson of the Council of Advisors Mrs Lim Hwee Hua to the latest new members of the YWLC network. To date, 222 have joined the network and the YWLC mentor pool has also increased two-fold from 16 to 37. At this juncture, I’d like to invite all of you to join me in thanking Mrs Lim Hwee Hua for gracing this occasion as well. She was more than the spark that ignited this idea. She basically mentored the formation as well as saw to the first few foundation years of the YWLC. And from the photographs, you will realise that we have more than five years of history. But it would not have been possible with the strong support and leadership of Mrs Lim as well as the mentors who have come on board. I was trailing very closely behind Mrs Lim, so I know how it started in a sense that it was just an idea, just a concept, but many mentors just came on board to support the whole idea and I think that got mentees to come along as well. So, it’s really an example of how women who have experience, who have some expertise, are able to help the women that come after them, and I think we should do more of that to elevate the position of women in Singapore.
   

   
   Achievements of the YWLC

2. Since it started five years ago, YWLC has been constantly creating networks for young women leaders to connect and work together. The first group formed in 2010 comprised just 30 young graduates from our tertiary institutions. Many of you have made great professional and personal strides, from getting your first job to starting your own families. In fact, I am happy to note that there are quite a few mothers here today too. Many of you have also credited the YWLC network for helping you made these advances in life.
3. More than just individual accomplishments, many of you have also exemplified the YWLC spirit of always making sure you care for those around you, just as someone had also helped you along the way in life too. In particular, YWLC members know they need to step forward to help vulnerable women and their families. You have touched the lives of women abroad in countries like Bangladesh, and back here at home too. You have given women and children hope too, when things seemed grim for them. Many of you also volunteer regularly at meet-the-people sessions – hearing first-hand from residents and helping them tackle their issues. Others have gone on to represent Singapore on international and regional platforms. Just a few months ago, I met Cheryl Chong and Michelle Loh at the Singapore-Brunei Youth Leadership Exchange Programme. Cheryl tells me that her experience at the Singapore-Brunei Youth Leadership Exchange Programme has helped her gain a new perspective of the invaluable friendship between Brunei and Singapore, not only between leaders in both governments but also among the people of both countries. She experienced first-hand the special ties that bind Brunei and Singapore.
4. Indeed, YWLC has come a long way and I congratulate everyone for contributing to these successes. Where we are today is the result of all of your hard work.
   

   
   Roles women leaders can play

5. At a recent forum on leadership, one participant raised a point that many women are still afraid of taking up leadership positions at the workplace. And this stems from having other concerns such as balancing the family’s needs, to just being not 110 per cent sure about themselves though they certainly would be more than qualified. I know many of you are in that category as perfectionists. We want to excel but sometimes we are afraid of failure so usually for women, we want to be 100 per cent of our abilities before we reach for our next goal. I would say that having managed people for more than 30 years or so, the men needed to be only 70 per cent sure. So that is a great difference somehow and I think partly because of that intrinsic difference women tended to trail and at the very senior and top level positions, we are still fairly behind in terms of representation. So I hope that everyone here will give each other – your peers, your friends – the encouragement to take that leap of faith, and just take up the challenge to lead. Many of you have done so and can be role models for the other women in our lives.
6. One key way in which you can encourage other women is to reshape society’s perception of women in the workplace and at home. Many of you have responsibilities as mother, wife, boss or employee. Many of you have also found a way to balance these responsibilities, so that it is not either or, but to have it all. You have paved the way to show how a more gender equal society can emerge, where both men and women play a more equal role at home and in the workplace. This will require the support of businesses, employers, supervisors, colleagues, friends, family members and a whole ecosystem, where every member of society celebrates and values family. This is all the more critical as we anticipate our economic growth may be constrained by low labour force growth. Encouraging more women to enter the workforce, and finding new ways for women to carve out successful careers could move the needle on Singapore’s labour growth. Pro-family work policies such as the introduction of paternity leave and the Government’s baby bonus scheme are a step in the right direction to encourage more couples to start families. But it is really for us individuals to make that very important and personal decision. And I am sure many mentors here would also like to encourage their mentees to consciously think about issues and take action on them. I was just at the sharing session earlier on and I heard that a mentor, very quickly, trying to set up a date for her mentee and employee in her company. That is great and I truly appreciate the effort of the mentor – please carry on to do the good work.
   

   
   The potential and power of the network

7. Indeed, this is your individual decision but your decisions on your career, your family, and your lifestyle can help inspire others. You can help shape our future workforce, economy and Singapore. For the women in the audience here, I have an even higher expectation for you to make serving the community a duty. I am proud that many of you here are doing so in your own ways – by contributing actively to the nation, sitting on various councils and committees. There is no other network that brings together different generations of women leaders from all sectors but YWLC. Through this network, we can take the lead to critically examine and tackle complex issues related to business, Government and society. We must show leadership, not because we are entitled to, but because we are key stakeholders in writing the next chapter of the Singapore story.
8. Tonight, we celebrate five good years of the YWLC. Many of our programmes would not have been possible without the support of sponsors and various community partners. On behalf of the YWLC, let me express my heartfelt thanks to those who have supported us in any way. Your support has helped us make a difference and go the distance. As we celebrate this milestone, let us continue to re-connect, enjoy the wonderful company, and share many happy memories on our journey together. Thank you.