MCYS SPEECH NO: 62/2008

DATE OF ISSUE: 21/10/2008

SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON, MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, AT THE SECOND CHINA-ASEAN HIGH LEVEL
WOMEN’S FORUM, 21 OCTOBER 2008, 12:15 PM AT NANNING, CHINA

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.