Baktee
While women around the world have to take to the streets to highlight their importance role in the workforce, women leaders in Singapore are pushing for equality through dialogue and diplomacy.
“Women in Singapore have not reached our potential for equality. Many things need to be done before we can achieve this. For example, only two out of 10 board members are female. The labour participation rate of women is still not good enough.
“When we look at other data, there is still a wage gap between men and women [for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes 89 cents according to the World Economic Forum]. To say we have succeeded, there must be good indicators. Data is showing that the journey isn’t over yet,” said NTUC Women’s Committee Chair and Labour Nominated Member of Parliament K Thanaletchimi, in a recent interview with NTUC This Week.
Labour Participation Rate
In Singapore, like many countries in the world, women outnumber men – with the ratio being about 100 women for every 96 men, according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development. Despite this, the labour participation rate of women in Singapore in 2016 stood at 60.4 per cent, as compared to the 76.2 per cent for men.
The Labour Movement has been working hard to get these women back to work by advocating for initiatives such as the Returnship Programme – a programme similar to an internship, to help women ease back into the workforce.
“The Returnship Programme can empower women. Once they are independent economically, they will be more active in their roles at work and their families. Once they are in the workforce, they may not need to be dependent on anyone and instead can help to give back to their families and communities in many ways,” said Ms Thanaletchimi, who believes that having more women in the workforce may improve the chance for better equality.
Work-Life Balance
According to a Manpower Ministry survey released in January this year, 41 per cent of women outside the labour force cited family responsibilities as their main reason for not working.
This highlights the role of the employer in helping employees juggle work and family life through progressive practices such as flexible work arrangements and work from home schemes, according to Ms Thanaletchimi.
NTUC Women’s Committee Vice-Chair Noorfarahin Ahmad echoes this and believes that the importance of such family-friendly schemes to get women to return to work cannot be denied.
“Women play multi-faceted roles and many will consider their families’ situation before joining the workforce. The work-life policies are something we must strengthen among other things. We can have job vacancies for women, but if they are not given suitable arrangements, many will not want to come back to the workforce.
“Women must also be proactive in upgrading themselves. They must take on training opportunities in order to stay relevant in today’s workforce,” she added.
The Labour Movement has also over the years worked with employers and government agencies to develop initiatives such as the Workpro Work-Life grant to incentivise companies to implement such schemes.
Boosting Sunrise Industries
According to the Manpower Ministry survey, a majority of women outside the workforce with a degree are also in the prime working ages of 25 to 54 – individuals the women’s committee believes are capable of strengthening Singapore’s workforce.
For a start, the women’s committee is putting in efforts to help women who hold either a degree or diploma in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields to come back to work and seize opportunities in these growing industries.
According to another recent survey by NTUC U Family on 546 women looking to re-enter the workforce, of the 22 women with a degree in engineering, less than half or 45.5 per cent worked in an engineering job in their last formal employment.
“The participation of women in STEM industries is very weak. In fact, women make up less than 50 per cent in all these industries. These industries are in demand of workers and they are sunrise. They provide a lot of opportunities for women. We will continue to push for women, especially those with the right qualifications, to join and boost these industries,” said Ms Thanaletchimi.
