SINGAPORE: The Progress on Singapore Women’s Development 2024 report, published by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), has shown how far women have gotten in different aspects of life including employment, health, and protection from violence. At the same time, it also recognizes the continuing need for gender stereotypes to be addressed.
This is the first report to track the progress of women’s development since the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development was published in March 2022, noted MSF.
The report noted that the most recent United Nations Gender Inequality Index from March of this year records Singapore as the top ranked Asian country having a low level of gender inequality. Singapore came in 8th place worldwide in the index.
Moreover, MSF said that there has been significant progress when it comes to workplace representation, with the resident employment rate for females aged 25 to 64 rising from 69.2 per cent to 76.6 per cent from 2013 to 2023.
In this decade, more women have taken on Professional, Managerial, Executive, and Technician (PMET) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) jobs, now at 46.7 per cent and 34.3 per cent respectively. At the same time, the country’s unadjusted gender pay gap has declined from 16.3 per cent in 2018 to 14.3 per cent in 2023.
The report added that women’s representation in leadership has been on the upswing. Due to efforts from the Council for Board Diversity convened by MSF, the goal of 30 per cent of women on boards in Statutory Boards has been achieved. Moreover, the percentage of women on the boards of the top 100 SGX-listed companies has tripled from 7.5 per cent in 2013 to 22.7 per cent as of June 2023.
Gains for women have also been seen in the take-up rates for Government-Paid Paternity Leave, which have risen from 47 per cent in 2016 to 53 per cent in 2022; as well as in the number of women aged 15 years who have received the HPV vaccine, from 1.3 per cent in 2014 to 89.4 per cent in 2022.
Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs, said: “It is encouraging to see that our women have continued to make progress at home, at work and in society since the White Paper was published two years ago. This was only made possible through the collective efforts of the community, corporates, schools and Government.
“All of us can and continue to do more so that men and women can partner each other as equals and both can pursue their aspirations freely and fully. We need to shift mindsets on gender roles and address challenges that women face to advance towards a fairer and more inclusive society.”
/TISG