Forum: Gender equality is not a zero-sum game

In my 56 years as a doctor and surgeon, I have learnt that when one part of the body is under constant, unnatural strain, the whole system eventually suffers. Our society operates much the same way.

For decades, we have lived under a social contract that placed men and women into rigid, often restrictive boxes. But as we move from the foundational protections of the 1960s to the bold vision of the 2022 White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, we are realising a vital truth: gender equality is not a zero-sum game.

When women gain autonomy, men do not “lose”. In fact, they might finally find the room to lead more balanced lives.

When the Women’s Charter was passed in 1961, it was an act of emergency surgery. At that time, polygamy and the abandonment of women and children were harsh realities. Women were legally vulnerable, treated as dependants without a voice. The Charter gave them a legal personhood and protection within marriage. It was about survival.

However, survival is not the same as security. In the 1990s, when Parliament passed legislation to introduce Personal Protection Orders, the state signalled that the home must be a place of safety. Further amendments to the Charter expanded the definition of violence to include emotional and psychological abuse.

As we moved into the 2000s, the focus shifted towards institutional equality. For nearly 30 years, a one-third quota restricted female intake into medical school because it was believed that a woman would leave the workplace when she had children. That quota was abolished in 2002, validating meritocracy. 

As we mark this International Women’s Day period, we note that the “final push” we are in now – realising the 2022 White Paper – is the most transformative yet. It moves us past “helping women” and into a complete redesign of how we all live.

For too long, the unspoken agreement in Singapore was that men had to be “macho” providers – stoic breadwinners whose identity was measured solely by their pay cheques. This has been a silent tax on men’s mental health. When we push for gender equality, we are not just opening doors for women to enter the boardroom; we are opening doors for men to enter the nursery.

Equality means a man can be a project lead in the morning and a primary caregiver in the evening without feeling he has “failed” at being a man. When caregiving is shared, the “mental load” that has historically weighed on women is distributed. But for the man, the payoff is an integrated life.

The 2022 White Paper gives us the tools, from elective egg freezing to workplace fairness. But the final push is about our internal attitudes and biases.

The legal framework is there. Now, let’s finish the job – not just for our daughters, but also for our sons, who deserve to lead lives defined by more than just competition and “macho” expectations.

Kanwaljit Soin (Dr)