Thursday, March 08, 2007
International Women's Day
Women, take heart... even as you continue to struggle... take heart that people have at least bothered to dedicate a day to you.
A commentary published in the Today Papers today titled 'Those who lose out" on pg 18 highlighted some interesting points:
1) Women in Kazakhstan get almost 70% of what their men get, compared to Singaporean women who only receive 65.5% of what their male counterparts get
- Singapore was ranked 65 out of 115 countries surveyed in a gender gap study by the World Economic Forum (WEF); contrast that with Kazakhstan's ranking at 32.
2) Even though women in Kazakhstan earn only one-third of what Singaporean women are getting at S$25,194 per year, in terms of how equally resources are distributed in each country, vs women's empowerment and access, Singaporean women get the lousy deal.
3) You could have a government that brings in pro-women policies but if without the culture needed to support gender equality, there's no guarantee the policies will work.
4) Once working women become pregnant, they become a financial liability and equality is taken away - a culture where taking care of children is valued as being just as important as going to working is needs to be nurtured.
5) A recent report by the London School of Economics said that women would have to wait 150 years for equal pay as men, because they are currently penalised severely by the labour market for sacrificing career for family
6) Progress on wage equality has almost stalled for the current generation of women compared to the previous generation.
And then on pg 4 of the same paper, beneath the title 'Expect 450,000 jobs over the next 5 years', you read that Manpower Minister Ng Eng Heng has said that "We are poised to move up the ranks of developed nations" and so hence "Singaporeans can face the future with confidence and optimism, with an abundance of job opportunities ahead."
My question is this, Mr. Ng:
How many of the 450,000 jobs are open to women, at what level of the corporate ladder, and is the pay going to be of the same level as that of my male counterparts?
Why are women penalised for shooting babies out of their wombs when the Government is encouraging more births?
Why are women who choose to devote full attention to their kids by resigning, viewed as lesser beings?
Why are women not given the recognition they deserve for taking care of their families? Aren't family unit sthe building blocks of our society, the very foundation on which we stand?
Why are housewives not getting any of the money the Finance Minister is giving away in His Budget?
A couple of things for you to think about...
A commentary published in the Today Papers today titled 'Those who lose out" on pg 18 highlighted some interesting points:
1) Women in Kazakhstan get almost 70% of what their men get, compared to Singaporean women who only receive 65.5% of what their male counterparts get
- Singapore was ranked 65 out of 115 countries surveyed in a gender gap study by the World Economic Forum (WEF); contrast that with Kazakhstan's ranking at 32.
2) Even though women in Kazakhstan earn only one-third of what Singaporean women are getting at S$25,194 per year, in terms of how equally resources are distributed in each country, vs women's empowerment and access, Singaporean women get the lousy deal.
3) You could have a government that brings in pro-women policies but if without the culture needed to support gender equality, there's no guarantee the policies will work.
4) Once working women become pregnant, they become a financial liability and equality is taken away - a culture where taking care of children is valued as being just as important as going to working is needs to be nurtured.
5) A recent report by the London School of Economics said that women would have to wait 150 years for equal pay as men, because they are currently penalised severely by the labour market for sacrificing career for family
6) Progress on wage equality has almost stalled for the current generation of women compared to the previous generation.
And then on pg 4 of the same paper, beneath the title 'Expect 450,000 jobs over the next 5 years', you read that Manpower Minister Ng Eng Heng has said that "We are poised to move up the ranks of developed nations" and so hence "Singaporeans can face the future with confidence and optimism, with an abundance of job opportunities ahead."
My question is this, Mr. Ng:
How many of the 450,000 jobs are open to women, at what level of the corporate ladder, and is the pay going to be of the same level as that of my male counterparts?
Why are women penalised for shooting babies out of their wombs when the Government is encouraging more births?
Why are women who choose to devote full attention to their kids by resigning, viewed as lesser beings?
Why are women not given the recognition they deserve for taking care of their families? Aren't family unit sthe building blocks of our society, the very foundation on which we stand?
Why are housewives not getting any of the money the Finance Minister is giving away in His Budget?
A couple of things for you to think about...
