Women and Politics in
Singapore
Wei Wei
Ma Hui
Tang Siyuan
1.Wei Wei
The Historical Process of Feminism and
Women's Movement in Singapore
Group
Arrangement
2. Ma Hui
Positive aspects of the status quo for
women in Singapore
3. Tang Siyuan
Problems and conclusions about the
current situation of women in Singapore
Historical Process of Feminism
and
Women's Movement
in Singapore
Wei Wei
Advocates and Defenders
SCWO
AWARE
Singapore
Council of Women
• In 1952, the Singapore Council of Women
(SCW) was formed.
• Behind The SCW is Shirin Fozdar, who has
previously been active in India's nationalist
movement.
• SCW has a distinct international
perspective, building connections with
women‘s groups around the world
Women’s Charter
• In May 1961, the Legislative
Assembly of the Autonomous State
passed the "Women's Charter”
• For the first time in Singapore's
history, laws that can fairly
comprehensively protect women's
rights
• Polygamy among Chinese
Singaporeans was abolished, and
the women's movement stalled
after major legislative successes.
Lee Kuan Yew's 1983 Speech
In 1983, after Lee Kuan Yew's demagogic scapegoating of
the country's changing demographics, Singaporean
women began to act.
Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew: Economic Take-off, 1965-2000
Whether parents have received higher education is the
key to determine whether academic performance is
superior or not
Few modern political leaders dare speak out about the
qualitative impact of low fertility
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Q44y1K7Vs/?from=seopage
AWARE
• Lee Kuan Yew's provocative scapegoating of the country's changing
demographics led Singaporean women to take action. One of the results was
the formation of AWARE in 1985, which has become one of the most influential
feminist organizations in Singapore
• The government recognized its place in Singaporean society in 1992 by
appointing its chairman, Kanwaljit Soin, as a nominated member of Parliament,
and reappointed her in 1994.
• A multi-ethnic organization with about 700 members, including all major
ethnic groups in Singapore, including Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, etc.
Ongoing
Women's Movement
• United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• Singapore Association of Women Lawyers (SAWL), SAWL
successfully pressures government to set up family courts
• Society Against Family Violence was established in 1991 to
raise awareness of domestic violence and work with law
enforcement and social workers to combat violence
• There is also the Center for Environment, Gender and
Development (Engender), an organization that promotes
sustainable economic development based on the livelihoods
of all people, especially women
Positive aspects of the status
quo for women in Singapore
MA Hui
“all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal
protection under the law”
The Safest place for women to live in the
Asia-Pacific region.
• Protecting women from marital rape,
domestic abuse and sexual harassment.
The Women’s Charter：
• Passed in 1961
• Protected the rights of women and girls
in Singapore
• Provided the legal basis for equality
between husband and wife, the
relationship of parents and their
children, termination of marriages and
division of matrimonial assets.
Women’s employment in Singapore
• Women’s employment in Singapore has rapidly
increased, from 62% in 2002 to 78% in 2018.
• The average gender equality score of
companies in Singapore is 40%, above the
Asia-Pacific average of 33%.
• Women in Singapore are better represented at
the executive (28%), senior management
(32%), and overall workforce levels (44%).
• Provide more job opportunities for women.
More than 64% of JPMorgan's junior
employees are women
Women’s reproductive rights in Singapore
Singapore was the first country in Asia to
legalize abortion in 1976.
• The Abortion Act and the Voluntary
Sterilisation Act
• Women had more autonomy over their
bodies
• Advanced women’s reproductive freedom
Women’s reproductive
rights in Singapore
• Women in the city state are also
entitled to four months of paid
maternity leave – something not
guaranteed in the United States
• As a father, they also have
the Government-Paid Paternity
Leave (GPPL) --- 2 weeks and 4
weeks of shared parental leave.
Women’s education in Singapore
• From the time Singapore gained selfgovernment, both girls and boys have been
given equal opportunities in education.
• The Global Gender Gap index score for
educational attainment in Singapore in 2021
was 0.99, with a score of 1 being absolute
parity and a score of 0 being absolute
imparity.
.
Women’s education in Singapore
• The gender ratio in enrolment was
consistently for the First Degree level which
hovered around the 1:1 ratio since 2007.
The improvement of women‘s education level
is more obvious.
Reduced educational gap between men and
women
• Among the residents aged 55 and above, the
proportion of male with a college degree or
above is 34%, and that of female is 22.8%.
• Among the 25-34 population, the proportion
of female is 90.2% > 90% (male).
Chart: female-to-male enrolment ratios by educational level,
1995-2014 ( Females per 100 males)
Problems of
the current situation of
women in Singapore
Tang Siyuan
57373270
The most gender -equal country in Asia?
I s S i n g a p o r e r e a l l y a p a r a d is e f o r w o me n a n d a h e l l f o r me n ?
Th e r e i s n o ma r r i a g e l a w i n S i n g a p o r e o n l y t h e Wo me n ' s C h a r t e r,
w h i c h i s e x t r e me l y p r o t e c t iv e o f w o me n ' s r i g h t s . O n e o f t h e
h a r s h e s t p e n a l ti e s i n S i n g a p o r e i s f l o g g i n g , w h i c h i s o n l y f o r
ma l e o ff e n d e r s . T h e r e a r e a l s o v a r i o u s p o l i c i e s a n d l e g a l
p r o v is i o n s i n S i n g a p o r e , a r e t h e y n o t v e r y s e r i o u s t e n d e n c y t o
u n d e r mi n e me n a n d b e n e f i t w o me n ?
I n S i n g a p o r e , w h y a r e h u s b a n ds mo r e a f r a i d o f d i v o r c e t h a n
w i v e s ? T h e Wo me n ' s C h a r t e r !
I t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e i mp l e me n t a t i o n o f a l a w, t h e Wo me n ' s
C h a r t e r, h a s a l o t t o d o w i t h t h e s t a t u s o f w o me n i n S i n g a p o r e
t o d a y. I t i s , s o t o s p e a k , t h e p a t r o n s a i n t o f l o c a l w o me n .
Or still patriarchy…
Source from: Gender inequality index 2022, Human Development
Reports, UNDP
Wo m e n ’s P o l i t i c a l P a r t i c i p a t i o n i n S i n g a p o re
• Women in Singapore are beginning to play
an increasingly important role in the political
life of the country. Not only do they vote in
elections, but they are also active in political
organizations and campaigns.
• But, the overall political participation of
women in Singapore remains relatively low.
• For example, issues such as the number of
female representatives in parliamentary
elections, the number of female top
government officials
Wo m e n ’s P o l i t i c a l P a r t i c i p a t i o n i n S i n g a p o re
• Only three of the twenty cabinet members are
women: there are only two real ministers, and
one is a minister in the PMO(Prime Minister’s
Office)
• Two ministers:
• Grace Fu Hai Yien: Minister for Sustainability
and the Environment
• Josephine Teo: Minister for Communications and
Information
• The ministers of the relevant departments dealing
with women's affairs - the Minister of Social
Policy, the Minister of Education, the Minister of
Social and Family Development, etc. - are all
men.
• A female president, but a titular ruler, a political
symbol, does not have much power
Wo m e n ’s P o l i t i c a l P a r t i c i p a t i o n i n S i n g a p o re
Number of Candidates - 2020 General Election
• There are 30 female
members in the 103member Singapore
Parliament, accounting for
29.1%.
• But only 40 female
candidates out of total 192
candidates, accounting for
20.8%
Number of Candidates – 2015 General Election
Source from: Parline, Inter-Parliamentary Union
• The gender ratio of the
number of candidates has
barely changed from the
figures for the 2015
Singapore general election
(35/181 = 19.3%)
Women in Singaporean Politics
• Women's participation in the political sphere is far less than that of men
• The proportion of women running in general elections is still much lower
than that of men
• women are also much less represented in senior political positions than men
• 3/20 cabinet members:15%
• 30/103 parliament members:29.1%
• Underrepresentation
• Inability to be a decision-making force
• Inability to reach the top of the government
Wo m e n ' s S o c i a l L i f e i n S i n g a p o re
• Singapore is a multicultural society and
a very developed country. According to
the United Nations Development
Programme, Singapore is one of the best
countries in Asia for women to live in.
• However, there are still some problems
with the status of women in this society.
Such as:
• Constraints of social tradition
• Hidden discrimination in employment
and pregnancy
• Sexual and marital violence
Lee Kuan Yew’s ‘Asian Values’
• Closely associated with Confucianism, it possesses
a number of characteristics:
• Preference for collectivism
• Elite leadership of family patriarchy
• Respect for authority
• ……
• Still plays an important role in the society of
Singapore-a well-known patriarchal state
Wo m e n ' s S o c i a l L i f e i n S i n g a p o re
• The oppression of women's social roles by patriarchy, tradition
and Asian values
• The notion that the family is an important social unit may lead
women to take on too much responsibility in the home
• Limit their professional development and personal growth
• Remember the data from UNDP？ （Labour force participation
and education rate)*
• The social gaze on women’s honour and dignity is a bondage
that restricts women from making their voices heard.
• Exmaples：
• Slut-shaming, victim blaming
• Marital rape
• Domestic violence
Wo m e n ‘ s S o c i a l L i f e i n a ‘ t r a d i t i o n a l a n d c o n s e r v a t i v e s o c i a l e n v i r o n m e n t ’
Source from: AWARE Singapore, https://www.aware.org.sg/information/violence-against-women-factsheet-2/
• Victim blaming attitude is common
• 1 in 10 respondents think women who are raped are often “asking for it.”
• 40.0% of respondents aged 18-39 and over 50.0% of respondents aged 40 and above agree that women
who wear provocative clothing are “asking for it” and should bear responsibility for harassment.
• Such victim-blaming attitudes contribute to restricting women’s sexual freedom, legitimising sexual
harassment and resulting in unsupportive first response to victims.
P re g n a n c y a n d o t h e r j o b - re l a t e d d i s c r i m i n a t i o n
• Women tend to be paid less than men, and women also tend
to be limited by career advancement
• Women are also discriminated against with respect to
pregnancy and childbirth. Many employers are reluctant to
hire pregnant women, and some women are fired after
pregnancy
Source from: AWARE Singapore,
https://www.aware.org.sg/2022/09/1-in-2experienced-workplace-discrimination-awaremilieu-survey/
• Women are expected to take care of their families and
children, while men are expected to advance
in their
Source from: United Nations Women database
Source from: Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
careers.
Mini Conclusion
● Singaporean women still face many problems in real life. Women still suffer from a large
degree of discrimination and oppression, both in the political arena and in the realm of
everyday life.
● At the root of the matter, Singapore is still a relatively conservative patriarchal society,
and economic development and social diversification have not fundamentally changed
Singaporean society.
● Women's rights in Singapore have changed in response to the needs of the national
patriarchy.
● The advancement of women‘s rights and status is not due to the awakening of
women or the feminist movement but rather the government’s push from the
perspective of the national interest and the interests of the family .
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