Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech at the 14th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) Meeting

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State and Chairperson of the Women Leaders’ Network Steering Committee,  Ms Chua Sock Koong, Chair of the Women Leaders’ Network, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

I welcome warmly more than 600 women leaders from 21 APEC economies to Singapore. We are delighted to see here leaders from all sectors, in the government, in business, in academia and in civil society participating in this conference.

We are meeting in the midst of a major global economic crisis, but, in fact, the story of the Asia-Pacific region in the last few decades has been one of optimism and of dramatic growth. The emancipation and education of women has contributed greatly to the transformation of our societies and economies.

At the same time, of course, these rapidly-changing times have confronted women with new opportunities and new challenges. Therefore, it is good for us to have a chance to meet, whether in person here or by teleconference in Korea, in order to talk about the impact of the immediate crisis, especially where women may be more vulnerable, and to talk about longer-term issues like sustainable development. And we hope that in Singapore, we will be able to contribute to this discussion by sharing our experience on these issues.

The Asia-Pacific economies, 21 of us, are very diverse. We are many races and religions. We speak many languages. Our histories and cultures are equally varied. Our economies may be big or small, rich or poor in natural resources, rural or highly urbanised, continental or a tiny island-state. But for all of us, development has depended on our societies investing in their people and making full use of all their talents. And no society that under-utilises the talents and capabilities of half of its members can develop to its full potential.

Of course, in the past, many societies around the world practised a traditional division of gender roles. Men go out to work and are the breadwinners for the family. Women are expected to stay at home, look after the family and the children. And these different paths were set early in life, as you could see from the little video just now. But societies which have succeeded are often those that modified these set patterns, educated their women and empowered them to fulfil their potential.

Many APEC economies have made this transition. And today, women make up more than half of the labour force in APEC and women have bolstered the region’s economic development. As a result, in many of the countries, GDPs have risen; per capita incomes have gone up; health, education and living standards have all improved tremendously. And women continue to make significant contributions, ensuring that the Asia-Pacific will remain a dynamic region.

However, such far-reaching and social economic transformations cannot happen overnight or at the stroke of a pen, or by promulgation of a declaration. Society is not able to adjust suddenly. It has to shift progressively to a different and hopefully a higher level. These traditional gender roles have deep roots. They are linked up to the way the society is structured, the way the economy works, the way people’s expectations are formed, children are brought up and parents influence the next generation. These traditions may not be immutable or totally sacrosanct, but updating and rationalising them must usually be a gradual process of adaptation, experimentation and correction, feeling your way across the river stone by stone.

In contemporary Western societies, it is taken for granted, in fact, it is an axiom of faith, even a resident declaration of conviction, that women should be entitled, as of right, to assume equally important positions in society as men — in business, in government and, even to some extent, in the armed forces, at least in principle. The practice may not be quite the same, but at least the ideal is stated that way. But few Asian societies operate that way. Even the developed Asian economies are not quite like that. And our historical experience and the expectations of both men and women are too deeply ingrained to be cast aside within one generation.

We can change, it has to take time. We have to go through a process; there will be a struggle. We can make haste deliberately. We should not stagnate and be left behind by the world, but if we force the pace and go faster than what society can accept, we run the risk of unintended consequences.

In terms of gender roles, Singapore is probably one of the most Westernised societies in Asia. The women have made enormous strides in the past several decades and the video we just saw highlights some areas of progress. And the men as well as the women are very proud of this. But even in Singapore, this progress has been gradual and ongoing. We enacted a Women’s Charter almost five decades ago. And as you could see just now from the video, one of the key points is one man, one wife. This was not a trivial statement or a description of fact but an aspiration then.

At that time, it was ahead of its time, but even today, the Women’s Charter is not the final state or the final statement on gender relations and so we continue to update the legislation as our society evolves. When it comes to medical benefits, when it comes to citizenship rights, when it comes to many aspects of social practices as well as legal status, these are items which are work in progress. We have done well, but we continue to walk forward. And the key catalyst for all this was to educate our women.

In the past, families would often save to put their sons through school and, even more, save to put their sons, rather than daughters, through higher education. The Government heavily subsidised education for all so that boys as well as girls, men as well as women could attend. And the female students, given these opportunities, have performed very well. Now, more women enter university than men. The intake is 55 per cent female. The women are doing well and they go on to get good jobs and rise in their careers.

Beyond school and university, women’s participation in the labour force has also risen dramatically and also their representation at the senior levels. I remember once, 20 years ago, we were presenting a report on the economy and explaining that in the next phase, if we want to grow further, the manpower which we have not really fully exploited is women power. And I was asked by one journalist from America, what social engineering are you going to do to get the women to work, because at that time we were about 50 per cent labour force participation. I said there was no social engineering. You just looked at the developed countries. As their societies have evolved, as education has become universal, as opportunities have opened up for women, they naturally want to work and I think that will happen to Singapore.

And, in fact, that is what has happened to Singapore. And over 20 years, we have gone from 50-odd per cent participation now to 60-plus per cent participation. It can still be higher because too many of our women leave the workforce to have children. When their children enter school and become more self-supporting, the women do not come back into the workforce. If you look at our labour force participation, you have a single-hump camel. Why? Because as they enter the workforce, more and more women worked, then as they leave the workforce, the numbers gradually come down.

In other countries, you have a second hump because after the children go to school, the women come back to work again. You have a second hump before they retire. So, we have been working hard and I can see the beginning of a second hump but I think we have to work harder, because women have a wide range of career choices, they go into the professions, they have excelled in their fields and, as you have seen in so many photos and the video, all of them are successful women contributing to society.

In politics, too, female participation has increased. It is not easy. We started off with a few MPs 50 years ago. Even two decades ago, we just had four female MPs. Today, we have 22 out of 94, almost a quarter. We can still do better, but are no longer bottom of the league tables. And the women MPs participate actively in the debate in Parliament on all issues, not just those of interest to women. And they add a women’s perspective to discussions of national concern. We hope progressively to bring in more women so that they can participate and play their full part. They give a different perspective. It is a perspective which is forward-looking because the women have children and they think for their children into the next generation. And that is most important, whether you are talking about development, education or sustainable development.

We have no affirmative action or quota system here in any field of endeavour. We give opportunities for all and we trust that people of talent, whether men or women, will seize these opportunities and will rise up. And we try our best to make sure there are no glass ceilings. So, Singaporeans know that women who occupy senior positions are there on their own merits and they can become role models for younger ones and spur them on to do their best.

Advancement and empowerment have brought about societal changes, but we too have seen some unintended consequences. The focus on careers has put pressure on family and on personal priorities. And women’s attitudes have also changed. More women are now financially independent and want control over their lives. They are not content with being confined to traditional subservient roles. In family life, they expect an equitable division of responsibilities and a say in important family decisions.

Men’s attitudes have changed, too, to adapt to this, but perhaps not quite fast enough. More men are prepared to treat their partners as equals. More are willing to share the housework and in bringing up children. They change the nappies, they carry the babies, they are not just role models; they are also active participants. But there is still some gap in expectations and still some mismatch between what men want and what the women expect. And this is one reason Singaporeans are marrying later and not quite as many as before are getting married.

Families are having fewer children, some none at all. So, the result is a total fertility rate of 1.28. What that means is one husband, one wife, 1.28 children. Next generation, 0.64 husbands, 0.64 wives and we are disappearing. So, we are far below replacement level.

The Government has been watching these trends with growing concern and we have been taking baby steps to do something about this. We have introduced successive packages to support families and parenthood, generous baby bonus, longer maternity leave, arrangements for childcare and so on.

Despite these measures, I regret to report that our TFR has not gone up. I suppose I should be delighted to tell you it is not going down, but it is still way below where it ought to be. So, we will continue to try our best with pro-family measures and help the society to find a new balance, a new gender compact. One major issue is, of course, work-life balance. It is fine to talk about careers, satisfaction, husband, children, extra-career, vocational voluntary work and so on and be a super-mum, but not everybody can be a super-mum. And it is very difficult to help women to juggle their career aspirations and family life.

If we can have flexi-work arrangements, if we can have bosses, companies which are understanding, if offices can provide facilities for nursing mothers, if we can have pro-family schemes which are conceived out of the box, for example, teleconferencing, or rather, telecommuting, so you can work from home even if you follow your spouse abroad and you are living abroad for a while, all these schemes will help. And the Government encourages all these schemes. But finally, marriage and procreation are very personal decisions which individual men and women have to make for themselves.

The new generation of Singaporeans will grow up with different expectations and attitudes, as will the new generations in all the other APEC countries. Because the world is changing, their experiences while growing up are different from our experiences and their aspirations in a new world will be different. And we can see this change in young people in Singapore almost year to year. Certainly, from Generation X to Generation Y to whatever is the newest name, attitudes are different. They expect to be more equal. Well-educated young women now want to pull their own weight in a balanced partnership. I was speaking to one young man recently and saying that, well, you ought to pay more attention if you are cultivating a young lady – pamper her, make her feel special. I was told, no, that is not how it works. Young ladies nowadays do not want their men to carry handbags for them. So, I have to learn and update myself.

Young people want to advance their careers, take leadership roles in society, enjoy life and see the world. But they also recognise that they have to make time and energy for family. And many surveys show that young men and women do want to get married and start families. But the problem is by the time they have dealt with all the other pressing priorities and get around to focusing on this and doing something about this, it may be too late and too difficult. The clock is ticking.

Policies, employment arrangements, social practices, values will have to evolve to accommodate this new generation. And perhaps, eventually, we will find a new formula in society which enables young people to fulfil their aspirations and at the same time to have families and children, and live complete, fulfilling lives. But even then, it is not likely to be a permanent and a perfect solution because this is how society progresses, not in one long jump to a theoretical perfection, but feeling our way forward step by step with constant adjustments in each new generation.

I have described these issues because I do not think they are unique to Singapore. Also, we do not have all the solutions. Like everyone else, we have to evolve with the times and we hope to learn from one another at this meeting.

But what is clear is that we must ensure that women continue to enjoy equal access to education, economic and leadership opportunities. We are proud of what we have achieved here. As you saw, a team of Singapore women recently reached the summit of Mount Everest. I met them afterwards. They were very thrilled with themselves and their parents and families and the whole Singapore community were proud of them. They spent five years, they slogged their way, they worked, they trained, they raised money, they got there and we all cheered with them. And we will work to sustain progress so that new generations of Singapore women will have their chance to conquer their own summits.

Thank you very much.