He Ting Ru: Happy International Women’s Day! Gender equality benefits ALL of society

SINGAPORE: On March 8, when International Women’s Day is celebrated, Workers’ Party MP He Ting Ru emphasized how gender equality is to everyone’s advantage, not just for women.

She noted in a Facebook post on Wednesday that at the recent Budget and Committee of Supply debates, she and fellow Sengkang GRC MP Louis Chua have “raised issues that highlight how we have a ways to go in our continuing fight” for equality for women.

Ms He, a lawyer, mother of three and whose husband, Mr Terence Tan, is also a WP politician, wrote that while the strides taken by women should be celebrated, she added that there are still women “who do not have equal access to opportunities and skills to allow us to blossom to our fullest potential.”

Among the issues she and Mr Chua have raised are opportunities for women to serve in top foreign service roles including commissioners and foreign ministers.

“Women bring unique strengths to diplomacy,” she said.

The WP leader has also called for greater support for unwed singles, noting that “It therefore behoves us as a society to ask that our enhanced baby bonus and parenthood policies are extended equally to all parents.”

As for Mr Chua, he has underlined the need for entrenching equal opportunities, saying, “Let us push for longer gender-neutral parental leave at policy level for the country and empower her patents with the choice to share parental responsibilities.”

“Gender equality benefits ALL of society. It does not equate to gender wars. Just like we can’t fight a good fight with one hand tied behind our back, we are holding ourselves back from fulfilling our full potential if we do not dismantle existing barriers that women face, and address policies that disproportionately negatively affect one gender over another.

After all, how do we succeed when half of us are held back?

#internationalwomensday #IWD23 #IWD #EmbraceEquity,” wrote Ms He in her post. /TISG

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