The PAP Women’s Wing has set up four advocacy areas to champion key women’s issues in Singapore, as part of its reorganisation. At a press conference on Monday (Sep 15), it outlined these priorities: Careers and leadership, health and well-being, safety and respect, and seasons of life.
The careers and leadership group will address workplace challenges, such as the disruption caused by new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), as well as explore ways to empower women in their careers.
The health and well-being group will focus on matters related to physical health, such as common diseases among women, and mental health, including burnout and postpartum depression.
The safety and respect group will look at online harms, including the risks posed by rising online hypermasculinity, referring to internet communities that promote rigid gender roles and often sexist or anti-women views.
The seasons of life group covers women’s changing roles across different life stages, such as marriage, parenthood, caregiving and ageing.
Women’s Wing chairperson Sim Ann, who is Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, noted that many of the issues the advocacy areas highlight are not new and have been debated in Parliament for years. These include flexible work arrangements for caregivers and stronger support for families amid the country’s declining birth rate, most of which impact women.
However, she said that more activists and volunteers within the ruling party have shown interest in championing such causes, and there has been “growing interest in these four key areas over the years”.
She added: “To build on this momentum, we want to raise greater awareness and provide more opportunities for both women and men who are interested in championing these causes to make a difference.”
Sim highlighted AI as one key priority, as its impact cuts across several advocacy groups. With AI expected to affect large parts of the workforce – including many administrative roles commonly held by women – the Women’s Wing stressed the importance of preparing women for these changes.
Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport and Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling, as well as Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua – both Women’s Wing vice-chairpersons – pointed to the need to equip women with AI skills, such as prompt engineering, and to expand reskilling programmes to help them remain employable.
Sun added that parliamentarians in the Women’s Wing will continue to raise these matters in debates and motions whenever appropriate. She also noted that they will prioritise engagement and partnerships to ensure that future policy proposals are well-founded.
Marymount SMC MP Gan Siow Huang, who is Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade & Industry as well as adviser to the Women’s Wing research group, said research on issues, such as flexible work arrangements, will take time before being brought to Parliament, to ensure that proposals address the wide range of concerns faced by various women.
“We constantly track and revisit various issues from time to time, and every improvement in safety and respect for women is hard won – we hope to keep that up for all women in Singapore,” Sim said.
