1
Expanding Choices for Women - Health,
Work and Human Rights
2nd - 4th April 1997
The John Curtin International Institute
Perth 6845, Western Australia
TITLE
"WOMEN IN THE WORK PLACE" (WORK ENVIRONMENT, FOCUSING ON
ISSUES CONCERNING WOMEN IN SINGAPORE AND THE EFFECT OF THE
WOMEN'S CHARTER IN SINGAPORE).
Keynote Speaker
Mrs Anamah Tan (LL.B. Hons.; ARICS;
Singapore)
FIAML; Solicitor UK; Advocate & Solicitor
=============================
SUBJECT HEADING
"Voices and Choices" for the Singapore Women in the Work Environment.
1.
Introduction
Before the 2nd World War, multi racial Singapore was very much a male dominated
society, wrapped in a cocoon of traditions. Polygamy was a common practice and
women and children being sold into bondage was not unheard of. There were very
few women in the work place and those who worked suffered discrimination in pay,
work conditions and harassment by the male counterparts.
2.
The First Wave
2.1
The first wave of the Women's Movement in Singapore started taking root in 1951,
when a group of concerned women got together to address the "deplorable conditions
of women" in Singapore, where deserted wives of polygamous marriages, had no
means of support for themselves and their children. In April 1952, the Singapore
Council of Women was formed to unite the women of Singapore from the different
classes, races and religions. The Council was active and succeeded in obtaining press
2
coverage for the many talks and representations on promoting women's rights,
especially the right of a monogamous marriage.
2.2
The Council also took part in campaigning abroad and with its persistent stand being
heard increasingly in Singapore and abroad, the first independent government of
Singapore which won the election in 1959 passed the Women's Charter in 1961 in
Parliament. The Charter protects the position of women in Singapore with various
provisions such as those enforcing marriage and divorce laws, abolishing polygamy
among non-Muslims and changed the whole framework of Chinese marriages. It
accorded women a legal status, giving married women the right to use their own
surname and personal name, to engage in any trade or profession separately and to
acquire, hold and dispose of property in their own right. With the Charter, the social
fabric of Singapore society started changing for the better. Families became more
stable and women had greater security in marriage.
2.3
However with the implementation of the Women’s Charter came the eventual demise
of the Singapore Council of Women inaugurated in 1952, because the Council found
itself without a strong sense of purpose after basic equality for women was granted by
law.
3.
The Second Wave
3.1
The year 1975 which United Nations declared as "International Women's Year"
revived interest in Singapore when the women's movement, particularly in U.S. and
Europe, gained worldwide media attention.
3.2
The publicity generated by the Singapore Council of Women's failed attempts at being
the National women's body, created an awareness of an urgent need for such a body to
cater for the needs of a new generation of women in Singapore.
3.3
This resulted in the birth of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations
(SCWO) in March 1980, the first government - recognised federation for women's
groups in Singapore. The main objective of the SCWO is to co-ordinate the functions
of and also act as a federation for the various women's associations, organisations and
clubs and to bring together all women leaders of Singapore under one umbrella
organisation. SCWO also seeks to promote and improve the status of women in all
fields including education, economics social, welfare, community involvement,
culture and sports.
3.4
The SCWO has now in our membership 41 affiliated women's organisations in
Singapore with a membership of more than 100,000 strong women.
3
3.5
The SCWO has participated actively in the advancement of women in all fields,
engaged in discussion with the Authorities on women’s issues and policies that affect
the family, attended and participated in most national, regional and international
conferences on matters that concern women.
3.6
As a result of such active participation and representation of the SCWO in the last one
and half decades, better education and with training and re-training, more women with
improved work skills are released into the labour market.
4.
Education & Training
Singapore has limited land space, no minerals, oil or other natural resources, no
hinterland to fall back on, no agriculture for the meanest sustenance of life. The only
resource that it can develop is the human resource and that the people and the
government did, namely to educate and train each citizen to the fullest potential and
capability. Women who form about 50% of the population, are urged, encouraged,
cajoled by the trade unions, the government, and the women’s movement, to be
extensively trained and re-trained effectively to take advantage of automation and the
latest information technology.
4.1
Higher School Enrolment
Education is not compulsory in Singapore. But parents place a very high priority on
the education of their children.
Primary education is therefore virtually universal among children below 12 years.
Among those aged 12-17 years, the enrolment ratio at secondary and pre-university
level rose from 43 per cent in 1970 to 72-75 per cent during 1986-1993 (graph a)
(Chart 1). Following the introduction of the new educational policy to provide at least
ten years of general education, the ratio increased further to 79 per cent in 1994 and 81
per cent in 1995 (graph b).
4.2
More Pursuing Tertiary Education
With the firm foundation laid in general education and increasing demand for higher
level skills, enrolment in the local polytechnics and universities expanded (Chart 2).
University enrolment rose from 5,000 in 1965 to 9,200 in 1980 at an average annual
rate of 4.1 per cent. The increase more than doubled to 9.2 per cent per annum during
1980-1995. By 1995, the number reached 34,600. Polytechnic enrolment, which was
lower than university enrolment during the late 1960s and early 1970s, increased more
rapidly and reached a higher level of 46,800 in 1995.
4
4.3
Larger Number of Tertiary Graduates
Corresponding to the higher tertiary enrolment, the number of local polytechnic and
university graduates increased, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, there were
11,400 graduates from the local polytechnics compared with 200 in 1965 and 2,500 in
1980. University graduates increased from 1,000 in 1965 to 1,800 in 1980 and 7,900
in 1995 (Chart 3).
4.4
The effect of the better educated women thrown into the workforce resulted in higher
employment and productivity.
5.
Employment and Productivity
5.1
Higher Female Enrolment
More females entered local tertiary institutions during the past 30 years. The
enrolment ratio for females in polytechnics increased significantly from 0.1 per cent in
1965 to 19 per cent in 1995 (Chart 4). The ratio for females in universities also rose
steadily to 16 per cent in 1995, from 1.7 per cent in 1965. With the establishment of
Temasek Polytechnic in 1990 and Nanyang Polytechnic in 1992, more females gained
admission to the polytechnics than the universities. The female enrolment ratio for
polytechnics exceeded that for universities since 1991.
5.2
More Females in Labour Force
The labour force participation rate for females aged 20 years and over increased
markedly during the past 15 years, especially for those in the prime working ages 2049 years (Chart 5). However, due to prolonged schooling, the participation rate for
females aged 15-19 years declined sharply from 51 per cent in 1980 to 19 per cent in
1995.
5.3
In a quarter century, Singapore’s labour force participation rate increased from 57 per
cent to 64 per cent (Chart 6). The participation rate for males remained high
throughout and was almost three times that of females in 1970. The female
participation rate rose significantly from 30 per cent in 1970 to 50 per cent in 1995.
Hence, the gap between the participation rates for males and females have narrowed
over the years.
5.4
Shift in Occupational Structure
There was a visible shift in the occupational structure of the workforce in the last 15
years. There were proportionately more workers in the higher skilled jobs in 1995.
5
This was evident from the increase in the proportion of professional, administrative,
managerial and technical workers - from 18 per cent in 1980 to 36 per cent in 1995
(Chart 7). Correspondingly, the proportion of workers in clerical, sales, services and
production jobs declined.
5.5
Sectoral Differences for Males and Females
The proportion of males in financial and business services increased significantly
from 7.1 per cent in 1980 to 14 per cent in 1995 (Chart 8). However, there were
proportionately fewer males in community and social services. For the females,
employment in manufacturing fell markedly from 40 per cent to 23 per cent over the
same period. The proportion employed in financial and business services as well as
community and social services increased correspondingly.
5.6
Better Educated Workforce
The proportion of the labour force with higher qualifications increased significantly
over the last 25 years (Chart 9). The proportion with secondary or upper secondary
qualifications rose from 14 per cent in 1970 to 50 per cent in 1995. Some 13 per cent
of the labour force possessed university qualification in 1995, about six times that in
1970 (2.2 per cent).
5.7
Better-Educated Population
The educational profile of the population aged 15 years and over had improved
markedly (Chart 10). The secondary-educated more than doubled from 10 per cent in
1970 to 28 per cent in 1995. The proportion with upper secondary and university
qualifications rose from a mere 2 per cent to 24 per cent during the same period.
With equal opportunities in education, the disparity in proportion of the bettereducated among the younger males and females narrowed.
6.
The Impact of the Women’s Charter on Women in Employment
6.1
The Women’s Charter was passed in September 1961 as part of the election promise
of the present government when it first came into power in 1959. This Charter, apart
from providing for monogamous marriages for all non-Muslim Singaporeans, also
gave status and stability generally for the wives and children of the family. The
Charter also specifically provides that the wife shall have the right to separately
engage in any trade or profession and in social activities. The wife shall have right to
use her own surname and name separately. She has her own independent domicile
and is able to hold, acquire, or dispose of any property; be liable for any tort, contract,
debt or obligations; can sue or be sued in her own name as well as be subject to
6
bankruptcy and enforcement of judgements and orders.
6.2
The Women’s Charter also made both the Husband and Wife to be responsible for the
upbringing of their children and the running of the matrimonial household. All these
rights freed the married women to enter the labour market, to be business
entrepreneurs and choose whatever profession suits her. Credit and banking facilities
are available to her if she has the necessary securities.
6.3
Thus it can be seen the effects of the Women’s Charter are real. With one stroke of
the pen, the Woman’s role has been radically changed from a submissive wife and
mother, tolerating the keeping of mistresses, freely accepting as concubines,
depending on the Husband’s generosity in dishing out the family support money with
practically no say in the running of the house and the upbringing of the children; to
one having her legal identity separate from the man.
6.4
The passing of the Women’s Charter did not guarantee family bliss and utopia. With
the dual income family becoming the norm, there are bound to be some adverse
effects on the children, as had been experienced in developed countries and who are
known as latch key children. So how do we cope with this? We have as our first fall
back position, grandparents who usually are willing to take on the task of child
minding with the help of a live-in maid. The advantage of this is that grandparents
can pass on their social cultural and moral values to the grandchildren. Other viable
options are day care centres for young children, before and after school care run by
voluntary organisations and schools, tuition classes run by the different clan
associations, religious bodies and ethnic groups. Another alternative is foster
parenting - where the children are fostered out to neighbours and the parents either
bring them home every evening or during the weekends. We also have foreign
domestic workers. A household survey in 1995 showed however that only 6% of
households in Singapore have maids. The children imbibe the maid’s manner of
speaking, their norm of behaviour and become television couch potatoes and different
problems emerge.
6.5
Despite these short comings, there is no doubt that the Women’s Charter has brought
about not only freedom from the shackles of domination of a patriachial society, but
given women the opportunity to play a crucial role in the economic growth of our
country.
7.
Economic expansion regionally and globally
7.1
Because our domestic market is very small, we have been urged by our government to
go regional and global. Hence you would have probably read or heard recently that
Singapore has joint business ventures in China, India, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
apart from the usual investments in Malaysia, Taiwan, Hongkong, Thailand,
7
Philippine, Australia, New Zealand and as at January/February 1997 proposals to go
to Argentina, South and Southern Africa, Ghana. Support services in the form of
technical and other advice is readily given by the government through its Trade
Development Board, Economic Development Board and its various inter ports
Business Councils. There is also a push that small and medium enterprises take on
this second wing of expansion and they are assisted too in the similar way including
tax benefits and incentives.
7.2
These opportunities are open to women entrepreneurs in our small and medium
enterprises, the professions and these pioneers will no doubt be the trail blazers for
others to follow.
7.3
With the liberalisation of trade and services under the former GATT and WTO
agreements, we are promised that the world will be one big market place. We have to
gird ourselves with the knowledge and the ability to seize the opportunity to
participate in the economic process in order to improve and enhance the economic
development of our women.
7.4
It is therefore necessary for us all to study carefully the effects of trade liberalisation in
the context of how these trade pacts impact on the women’s livelihood and economic
well-being in the countries concerned and what measures we can take to alleviate any
adverse impact.
8.
Conclusion
8.1
Women must be given a definite status in the community and enabled to contribute to
the economic progress of their country. Not to give women equality in such status is
not only a retrograde but a disastrous step for the economic as well as the human
development potential of the country.
The man-made imposition of control on women on what to wear, their appearances
and their mode, and way of thinking will have to go. It is a matter of time for these
changes to take place in countries where they have not. And change is the only
constant as we move into the next millenium.
8.2
Singapore has come a long way from the time Sir Stamford Raffles landed on her
shores in 1819. From a trading post to an entrepot port in the 1950’s, it has become in
the last 30 years a city state, global village and hailed as an economic miracle.
Against all odds, this young nation with a population of just under 3 million and
covering an area of 604 square miles, an island with no natural resources except for its
people has made good. Political stability, good governance, people willing to work
hard, a determination to succeed, corruption free relatively speaking, each group
8
giving off his or her best, and the buoyant economic growth of the countries around
us, all contribute towards the success of Singapore and I am proud to add that the
women of Singapore have played our part and will continue to play our part to the best
of our ability in the development of our country.
9
Acknowledgement
1.
Department of Statistics, Singapore
2.
National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) Women’s Programme Department,
Singapore
3.
Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations Library, Singapore
4.
“Singapore Women - 3 decades of Change” edited by Aline K Wong and Leong Wai
Kum
5.
“Voices & Choices” published by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations
and the Singapore Bahai Women’s Committee (1993).
10
This paper looks at the Singapore woman works from the perspective of how the women’s
movement in Singapore contributed towards the integration of women in the work force. I
have chosen this perspective as the topic of working women is usually looked at from mainly
the economic angle (which is very important), the labour angle, relating to work conditions,
equal salary and other benefits (which should not be ignored) and of late through the gender
laws. But it is timely to see how the women’s movement, which is believed to have started in
USA in the late sixties swept through the world and how our tiny Republic responded.
We acknowledge that the key factors that are attributed to the success of the Singapore
women in the labour market whether they are employees, entreprenuers and business persons
are due to a multiplicity of factors such as :-
11
Outline
Voices & Choices for the Singapore Women in the Work Environment

Looking at the First and Second Waves of the Women’s movement and its impact on
Singapore society and its Asian traditions.

Education, training and re-training of women to be skills relevant in the Information Age.

The impact of the Women’s Charter on women in employment in Singapore.

What the next millennium holds for us to expand our choices.