2021 declared the Year of Celebrating SG Women

This year will be the Year of Celebrating SG Women, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli announced yesterday.

As the contributions of women are integral to the Singapore story, the aim is to celebrate their progress and potential across society, said Mr Masagos on the sidelines of a virtual dialogue.

"We will celebrate our women's multifaceted roles across society, and we will also celebrate the men who help to debunk stereotypes, change mindsets and play an active role in supporting and uplifting women," he added.

The country's focus on women's issues gained momentum last year when the Government announced that it will conduct a review of issues affecting women, to change mindsets on values such as gender equality and respect for women.

A key component of the review is a series of dialogues called Conversations on Singapore Women's Development, which started in September last year.

The suggestions gathered from the dialogues will form the basis of a White Paper to be tabled in Parliament in the second half of the year.

Throughout this year, the Ministry of Social and Family Development will organise celebrations and activities as part of the women's movement.

Other milestones include International Women's Day in March, and legislative reviews - including those involving the Women's Charter, Mr Masagos said in a Facebook post yesterday.

On the need to further progress for women, he said at the virtual event: "Globally, women face higher risks of both income loss and increased violence, sexual exploitation or abuse. Despite efforts made to protect and uplift Singapore women, they are not exempt from these vulnerabilities, some of which may have been exacerbated by Covid-19."

Since September last year, 23 virtual conversations have drawn more than 1,000 participants, including working mothers, homemakers, men and young people. And until the second half of the year, about 100 more dialogues are being held.

A recurring issue in every conversation so far has been the push to change mindsets about gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles, revealed Mr Masagos.

He added that these entrenched stereotypes may hinder employers from providing more flexible work arrangements to help balance domestic responsibilities between men and women.

The solution is to make domestic work visible and valued, observed sociologist Paulin Straughan from Singapore Management University.

"You are rewarded based on your output at work. If you work 24 hours at home, you don't get noticed. We shouldn't encourage over-investment in paid work, and employers must respect after office hours," she said. "If we come to that, more men will naturally find that they can do more at home."

She also hopes that the movement will recognise homemakers, women who work shifts, and those who work in factories and in the service sector.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged that creating an equitable society for women is an ongoing process in Singapore.

"We've made progress over the years at home, in workplaces and in society, but we still need to change mindsets further," he said.

Although the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) is excited about the developments, it noted that there are various inequalities that women still face, with links to race, citizenship and class.

Aware's president Margaret Thomas said: "Celebration typically happens at the end of an effort… When women no longer have to fear for their safety on and offline; when women no longer worry about accessing decent housing for themselves and their children… when that happens, we will celebrate with all our hearts."

To mark the Year of Celebrating SG Women, the Ministry of Social and Family Development also unveiled a logo yesterday, inspired by Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.

Those interested in participating in the upcoming Conversations on Singapore Women's Development can visit go.gov.sg/sgwomen