Singapore Women's Development (Motion)

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, the White Paper is a firm commitment to the women of Singapore. I am especially heartened by its support for key issues like equal workplace opportunities, caregiver support and protection against violence, which have been championed by activists and women for many years.

Let me start by talking briefly about men. This White Paper is indeed about women's development. But I hope we can all agree that the action plans in the White Paper are good not only for women, but also for men and indeed all of Singapore. They steer our society towards a healthier, fairer set of norms, cultures and practices. And that is something we should all be able to celebrate.

Today, I will raise three proposals. First, we should equalise paternity and maternity leave benefits. Second, we should legislate the right to request for work from home. And third, we should end the stigma against single unwed parents by extending to them the Parenthood Tax Rebate, the Working Mothers' Child Relief and the cash component of the Baby Bonus.

My first proposal is that we gradually equalise paternity and maternity leave entitlements. Members of this House will be no stranger to my daughters Ella, Katie and Poppy. Some Members tell me they feel like they know my daughters quite well now, just from the stories I tell about them through my speeches in Parliament. They are a huge part of my life and I have learnt a lot from them.

Of the memories I have shared, the ones that stick most are from when Ella, Katie and Poppy were born, when they were babies. Paternity leave was a special time and my only regret is that it was not long enough. My factory is now closed so I will never enjoy paternity leave again. As Ms Joan Pereira has said, when you have twins, you will never have more kids.

But even as paternity leave becomes a thing of the past for me, I want to make sure fathers of our future get to spend more time with their babies. As I have said many times in this House, "Spend time with those you love. One of these days, you will either say I wish I had or I am glad I did." Study after study show that paternity leave is vital. Researchers at NUS looked into this and published their findings just a few months ago. Their paper "documents the positive relationship between paternity leave provision and family dynamics and children's well-being in Singapore".

Taking paternity leave not only gives fathers the "immediate benefit" of sharing joy and responsibility of caring for the newborn, but ends up having a "mid-to-long-term impact on children's and family's well-being". Longer leaves are significantly related to lower family conflict, lower maternal depression, higher marital satisfaction and fewer behavioural problems for the child. In other words, paternity leave is good for fathers, mothers and children. It is a win-win for everyone.

Some have said that mothers need more leave than fathers because mothers need to physically recover from childbirth. But this is all the more reason why paternity leave needs to be equal with maternity leave. Fathers need to be there as well, otherwise mothers will spend their 16 weeks of leave single-handedly, caring for the newborn; and that is no rest at all.

A young father recently reminded me how insufficient two weeks of paternity leave is. Let me share his story, "When my firstborn arrived two years ago, I went back to work after two weeks. My wife was still recovering from labour and was bleeding and had stitches and still needed bed rest, except she could not. Once I resumed work, she had to care for the baby, all while learning the ropes to be a new mom. It broke my heart to return from work every day to see her collapsed and break. Two weeks, even if taken flexibly, is not enough. It is not just about the baby, it is also about the mother. Our wives have gone through enough to bring life into the world. Please let us stay home, to take care of the big and little things, so that they can focus on recovery and all the other things we cannot do, like create milk".

It broke my heart to read this and I hope the Government can rethink whether paternity leave should really be less than maternity leave. Let me say one more thing about our low level paternity leave: it entrenches gender stereotypes. A 2019 IPS research paper stated that "family policies in Singapore continue to signal that childcare is a woman's responsibility and reinforce gender stereotypes".

It is hard to argue against this. We give mothers 16 weeks of maternity leave and fathers two weeks of paternity leave. Mommy stays at home and daddy goes to work. That is the message we send. The worst part of the problem is that it is self-reinforcing because we give fathers less leave, they do not get to develop the skills and confidence needed to care for their kids. This, the IPS study finds, causes them to leave childcare to mothers. The IPS study proposes that we increase the amount of paternity leave. I wholeheartedly support this call and hope that we can set a target year, perhaps 2030, by which we will have an equal amount of paternity leave and maternity leave.

We can increase paternity leave in phases, giving our employers time to plan ahead, while also providing a clear signal of our intentions to reduce gendered perceptions of parenthood. I hope Minister will look into this proposal in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, including the tripartite partners and NGOs, such as Families for Life and Centre for Fathering.

My second proposal today is that we legislate to give employees the right to request work from home, which employers can turn down only on the basis of valid business-related reasons. Legislate and not just have guidelines. Having just guidelines does not show that we place a strong importance on this. Survey after survey shows that Singaporeans want this and some would rather continue working remotely than receive a bigger bonuses.

We have also known for a long time that work-from-home narrows the gender pay gap. The pandemic has also highlighted that work-from-home can reshape gendered stereotypes of "Daddy goes to work, mommy stays at home." An economics research paper titled "The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality" found the pandemic, by forcing people to stay at home, has likely led to an increase in fathers taking on childcare responsibilities.

The paper concludes that this increase may sustain only if the fathers continue to have increased flexibility to work from home. The media has also reported stories of how COVID-19 has given fathers a chance to bond with their kids. Imran, a marketing manager, talked about how his wife and him are so glad that he now has more time to play and eat together with his two toddler children. Imran shared that after this increased time together, his kids now miss him even when he steps out of the house briefly.

Sir, the pandemic has brought about a momentum for greater gender equality in childcare. We will lose this momentum unless fathers continue to get access to work from home. It is clear – we need to legislate the right to work from home. To be clear, fathers taking on more childcare responsibilities is a positive step for women's development. It spreads out the burden of childcare between the parents. It frees women from the stereotype that they will stay home to care for their children.

Giving everyone the right to work from home will reshape the attitudes of employers towards women. It would also likely increase the female labor force participation rate, which, as Minister Tan See Leng has shared, is extremely low among women – only about 80% of women aged 25 to 64 are in the labour force.

Legislating the right to work from home would send a strong signal like how we are legislating the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices to send a stronger signal that unfair employment practices of all forms, including against women, are not tolerated.

We can carefully scope this new law together with tripartite partners. There is no reason why we cannot design a balanced effective law that is a win-win for everyone.

My third and final proposal is that we end the continued discrimination against single unwed parents. For decades, Members of this House have been speaking up for single unwed parents.

In 1997, Minister Shanmugam questioned how it could be "morally justifiable to deny an unwed mother and her child public housing". In 2006, Minister Indranee said that to build an inclusive society, policies affecting certain segments, such as single parents, had to change. In 2011, Senior Minister of State Janil called for Singaporeans to be compassionate, to treat single parents with dignity and not to punish single parents and their children.

Thankfully, we have made progress. Single unwed mothers now receive the same 16 weeks of maternity leave as married mothers. Their children now benefit from Child Development Accounts. Most recently, we have allowed single unwed parents to apply for rental housing and buy subsidised HDB flats from HDB.

I thank the Government for listening to their concerns and responding positively. As MND has acknowledged, "Single unwed parents are valued citizens and, like all parents, are respected for the love and care they provide for their children. They are no less a mother or a father, just because their child was born outside of marriage".

I am glad that the White Paper recognises the need to help single parents. It recommends increased support for single parents as one of the six focal areas in the Alliance for Action to strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships.

While I am confident the Alliance will help reduce the stigma against single parents, we cannot run away from the elephant in the room. The Government has a whole suite of parenthood policies that expressly exclude single unwed parents.

These policies are the Parenthood Tax Rebate, the Working Mothers' Child Relief and the cash component of the Baby Bonus.

Are single unwed parents any less a parent? Are unwed working mothers any less a working mother? And are babies of single unwed parents any less a baby?

We may answer no but these policies signal the opposite thing. Even if it is not the Government's intention, these policies suggest that single unwed parents are a less worthy set of parents. Less worthy of support.

This discrimination is a painful one because it is especially hard to be a single unwed parent. As Minister of State Sun Xueling acknowledged during this year's Committee of Supply debates, "It is not easy to bring up children, even more so, single-handedly."

The numbers speak for themselves. Young single unwed parents have a median monthly income of just $600, among the lowest in Singapore. Inflation is hurting everyone but they are the ones who will most have to scrimp and save. Yet, we deny them the support all other parents get.

We already agree on so many things. We agree that healthy intact families are ideal but staying together is not always possible or even good. We agree that single unwed parents and their children face stigma and have to overcome exceptional challenges.

Many of us felt this stigma firsthand at a recent dialogue session where single unwed parents spoke courageously about the stigma they faced. Many were in tears as they spoke. As Minister of State Sun Xueling shared after the dialogue, "They shared the pain and hurt felt when faced with the stigma that comes with being a single unwed parent." 

We can help end this stigma. What we need to do is end the discrimination in our parenthood support policies.

Sir, to conclude, we need to do three things. First, we need to equalise maternity and paternity leave entitlements. Second, we need to legislate the right to request work from home, which employers can reject only for valid business-related reasons. Third, we need to stop excluding single unwed parents from the Parenthood Tax Rebate, the Working Mothers' Child Relief, and the cash component of the Baby Bonus.

The White Paper is our commitment to a fairer and more inclusive Singapore. I am thankful for many of the action plans sketched out in it. Indeed, they promise a brighter tomorrow for the women, men and children of Singapore.

I started this speech talking about how the development of women is something that all men and indeed all of us in Singapore can celebrate. Let me end by sharing a quote from Ban Ki-Moon, "Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. It is everybody's responsibility."

We can and need to go further in order for Singapore's march towards gender equality to make true progress. Sir, I support the Motion.

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Ms Sun Xueling): Mr Speaker, Sir, the White Paper marks the culmination of a meaningful one-and-a-half-year journey to further advance Singapore women's development. Many organisations representing both men and women, students' unions and members of the public stepped forward with their feedback. 

We are extremely grateful to organisations such as SCWO, NTUC U Women and Family, People's Association-Women's Integration Netowrk (PA-WIN), PAP Women's Wing and Young PAP, Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS), AWARE and also trade associations and corporates for putting forward proposals. My fellow co-chairs, Minister of State Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam and I are deeply grateful for the inputs from everyone.

In the White Paper, we had grouped our 25 Action Plans into five areas not only for clarity but also to allow for thorough and effective implementation. After all the conversations, it is now the time to take action. We are determined to see this through over the decade, just as how the Government has advanced the progress of women over the past decades.

Some shared that the White Paper only seems to focus on Singapore women. I would like to clarify that many of the Action Plans such as mindset shifts and protection from violence and harm extend to all. Let me highlight a line in the Taskforce Report on Family Violence which was referenced in the White Paper: "Violence against all persons should not be condoned regardless of nationality, marital status, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation."

At the same time, we know that there are groups of women who face unique challenges. To address their concerns holistically, we have other workstreams such as a committee which looks at residency and benefits for foreign spouses which Minister Indranee chairs, supported by Minister of State Desmond Tan and myself.

For today, I will speak about specific groups of women who are vulnerable, their challenges and how, as a society, we can collectively protect, support and empower them. 

We convened the Taskforce on Family Violence in February 2020 before the full effects of the pandemic on family life became apparent, which signalled our concern and focus on family violence. We brought in various partners, including the Family Violence Specialist Centres such as PAVE who have spent decades supporting families affected by family violence.

We firmly believe that in Singapore, one of the safest cities in the world, that no woman, child or vulnerable adult should have to live in fear, jump at the sound of approaching footsteps or be subjected to the abusive words and actions of a perpetrator of violence. The home is supposed to be a sanctuary for adult and child alike and we will do our utmost as authorities and as members of the public to protect those whose sanctuary has been violated by physical and sexual violence, psychological and emotional abuse and neglect.

One example of our firm commitment to tackle family violence is how we have taken steps to expand the National Anti-Violence Helpline (NAVH). I had announced the renaming of the NAVH to National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline to better reflect the scope of its services. This one-stop national helpline provides support for all forms of violence, including sexual violence and sexual harassment, in a familial or non-familial setting.

To expand the capacity of the helpline to take more calls, MSF has provided more resources to social service agency Montfort Care, which operates the NAVH, increasing the number of operators to handle calls by 70%. The MSF Adult Protective Service and Child Protective Service will also help to train the new operators to equip them to perform their roles effectively. MSF is prepared to set aside more resources if there is a further increase in call volume.

Accessibility is another key area that we are looking at. By end-2022, witnesses and survivors will be able to report violence or abuse with greater ease through new modes such as a web link and mobile application.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I have seen with my own eyes, the anger in the eyes of a perpetrator of violence and the damage that the perpetrator can cause to families. We will not stand by and watch vulnerable adults, men or women, children be subject to family and domestic violence. With the 16 recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence, we will act swiftly, strengthen deterrence and prevention, and rehabilitate perpetrators.

We will enhance MSF’s emergency response team. Appointed social service professionals will be empowered to go on site and jointly work with the police to address immediate safety issues. This is by no means a soft approach, just because social service professionals are involved. If there is a risk of family violence recurring, the social service professionals will be empowered to decide on the issuance of a time limited protection notice or help victim survivors move out of their home temporarily.

 Victim-survivors facing immediate risks are not left unprotected and in the vulnerable position of having to take care of himself or herself against a perpetrator.

The Court may make an order to authorise Adult Protective Services to remove a vulnerable adult from the place of residence if he or she is experiencing abuse and the removal is required for safety. This will also include persons with disabilities.

We will also increase the penalties for the violation of PPOs. Courts will also be able make other forms of orders, such as non-visitation or non-communication orders. Public consultations for the related Women’s Charter amendments will start from tomorrow and run till the end of April.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim suggested adopting the Netherlands’ Orange House model of shelter for family violence survivors, for which the shelter is in a visible setting within the community. 

As part of the step-down care to the community, residents of crisis shelters with low risk levels have an option of staying in individual housing units. Crisis shelters also adopt trauma-informed approaches to supporting family violence survivors and their children. However, for some aspects of the Orange House model, such as the open location of the shelter where perpetrators know where the survivors live, our assessment is that this may not be suitable at this point in time. 

Next on sexual and hurt offences. Minister Shanmugam had shared about the sentencing framework for sexual and hurt offences. The relevant Penal Code amendments have since come into force on 1 March 2022.

I would like to highlight that the trauma of sexual offences has a long shadow. Victim-survivors can remain traumatised by memories of the episode, have flashbacks that can be triggered by anything remotely related to the incident, develop phobias of interacting and being close to people, and suffer from self-esteem issues. Being sexually violated takes away that feeling of inner sanctity that resides deep in every individual and some survivors may withdraw and develop a sense of detachment to protect themselves from further hurt. 

 We will support victims of sexual violence, not just in the form of police enforcement and laws and penalties but also in the form of psychosocial support and care. All Family Violence Specialist Centres and the PAVE Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection Specialist Centre will be able to provide comprehensive support for all forms of intra- and extra-familial violence, including sexual violence by the second half of 2022.

Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) have similarly further strengthened support for victims of sexual misconduct through various measures. They have enhanced training for first responders to equip them with the skills to support victims sensitively. 

Twenty-four hour helplines for student care and dedicated victim-survivor care units have been established and counselling services have been enhanced. If the case involves a student or staff from the same institution, No-Contact Orders can be imposed as added protection. 

But we know that the heart of the issue underlying many sexual offences lies in the mindsets that we have in society. We know concrete action needs to be taken to emphasise the value of respect and teach appropriate behaviour and safety, starting from a very young age from our children and our youths. And this is being done through the education journey from preschool, all the way to tertiary education. 

Under the revised Nurturing Early Learners framework, preschool teachers will be encouraged to teach children aged four to six appropriate behaviours around body safety.

In Primary schools, as part of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), students learn about personal safety and the protection of oneself from unhealthy relationships, sexual grooming, exploitation and abuse.

In Secondary schools and at the pre-University level, students learn that respect for boundaries is fundamental for healthy relationships. The refreshed CCE curriculum brings a greater emphasis on the need to communicate, assert and respect boundaries for self and others, and the social-emotional and legal consequences one faces if they overstep these boundaries.

Most IHLs already have compulsory modules on respect and appropriate behaviour for students today, and the remaining IHLs will roll out such modules by mid-2022. These modules aim to promote deeper shifts in culture and mindset that will create a safe and respectful community for all. In the Autonomous Universities, students discuss and reflect on issues related to consent. Similarly, modules in the Polytechnics and ITE emphasise the importance of respecting boundaries and the consequences for overstepping these boundaries.

Mr Speaker, we know that changing mindsets does not happen overnight and that is why I have laid out step-by-step what is being done for our children so that when they grow up to become adults, they are respectful, they are discerning and they are responsible.

But beyond mindset shifts to prevent offensive and inappropriate behaviours between the sexes, it is also important to catalyse mindset shifts so that women and men become equal partners in all areas of life, in both the workplaces and at home. 

In school materials, women’s experiences, contributions, and achievements are highlighted alongside those of their male counterparts, as content examples. 

The refreshed CCE curriculum has Family Education as a key content area. Students learn to appreciate that members within families can play different roles regardless of gender, and that shared parental responsibilities should be discussed and mutually agreed upon.

Ms Poh Li San and Ms Nadia Samdin spoke about the need to encourage women and girls to pursue careers in STEM. The IHLs have ongoing efforts to encourage women to enter STEM fields. For example, NTU’s Promotion of Women in Engineering, Research and Science (POWERS), this programme aims to recruit and empower women with a long-term goal of increasing gender diversity in STEM careers.

At the Secondary level, more than half of our Secondary school offered the Applied Learning Programme in STEM areas, providing a hands-on approach to enable students to appreciate the relevance of their learning beyond the classroom in community and STEM industry settings.

The Education and Career Guidance curriculum, as part of CCE in schools, also encourages students to explore a variety of education and career pathways. ECG Counsellors guide students to recognise how gender stereotypes may limit education or career pathways and to instead explore career sectors aligned to their interests and skills, including but not limited to STEM. These efforts in formal education complement the crucial role of parents at home and the efforts of our community partners such as Family for Life to change mindsets.

It is only when respect becomes a fundamental tenet that we can expect that when the children grow up, that men and women see each other as equals and treat each other with dignity.

I would now like to touch on our support measures for women with differing needs.

Firstly, on Single Unwed parents. The Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM) has a focal area on supporting single parents and we are looking into single parents’ access to information, alternative childcare arrangements and socio-emotional support tailored to address the high stress and stigma faced by single parents. 

I would like to acknowledge and thank organisations, like Morning Star Community Services, HELP Family Service Centre and PPIS As-Salaam who have been dedicated in working to support single-parent families for many, many years.

As part of the work of AFAM, we will work on a new pilot. The MSF will partner Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT) to pilot a child-minding service for low-income women, including single parents, outside childcare operating hours. This is intended to ascertain the demand for such services.

Ms Hany Soh and Dr Wan Rizal will be happy to note that the childminding pilot has built-in flexibility to enable users to specify their requirements, including arrangements for childminders to pick up the child from school and the location of childminding. Based on their needs, DOT will match with suitable childminders. The details of the pilot are being worked out and we will share more details in due course.

The AFAM is also supporting MSF and NCSS’s work with HCSA Community Services to enhance their Single Parent Informed, Involved, Included (SPIN) programme portal. The enhanced portal aims to be a one-stop portal which better consolidates information on support schemes for single parents, and other types of useful information such as the location of nearby child and youth services.

Many of the initiatives that Minister of State Gan Siow Huang spoke about earlier, including flexible workplace arrangements and support for back-to-work women, will benefit all, including single unwed parents. 

On housing, the HDB has assured that, following their public rental application, single unwed parents will be informed of the outcome within three weeks of receiving all required information. For complex cases that need more time, HDB will provide an interim update that the application is still being assessed.

Ms Carrie Tan spoke about the housing insecurity that single mothers may face. We have a network of crisis shelters and transitional shelters to help our single mothers who are homeless and require social work intervention. While the shelters aim to help the residents move into long-term stable housing within six months, we understand that some residents may require longer time to do so. Hence, we will extend their stays if social workers assess that they need more time to work on the issues that they face. 

Mr Louis Ng suggested that the full suite of Marriage and Parenthood incentives be made available to single unwed parents.

I had shared at my Committee of Supply (COS) speech in February this year that 12 line items, which include MediSave Grant for Newborns, Infant Care Subsidy, Childcare Subsidy, Child Development Account, and so on, are available to every Singaporean child regardless of the marital status of their parents.

But, at the same time, our Marriage and Parenthood policies seek to support parenthood within marriage. This is because our society continues to strongly value marriage and having children within marriage.

Members spoke about paternity and maternity leave entitlements and shared parental leave. I think we can all agree that employees generally will welcome more leave – infant care leave, childcare leave, eldercare leave. And we can also all agree that any leave enhancements will need to balance parents' caregiving needs with employers' manpower and operational needs.

I have listened to the various proposals from various Members. We do not differ when it comes to principles, namely, that mothers are differently impacted by the arrival of a child because they need time to recuperate from childbirth. But we also agree that men should play an important role in their child's early years and that men should be encouraged to take their paternity leave and parental leave.

How the leave then ought to be shared between the parents is thus a function of the overall total number of leave days provided to new parents, individual family considerations and societal mindsets and norms about the roles of fathers.

I fully agree with Ms Carrie Tan's point that we need shifts in societal mindsets and norms so that couples can best decide how they can jointly take care of their new child without preconceived stereotypes on caregiving. In addition, workplace support is also important as it impacts the willingness of fathers to take leave. We should also not forget the very important point that Minister of State Gan Siow Huang has made with regards to flexible work arrangements as its availability can make a big difference to how caregiving arrangements can be sorted out. 

A few weeks ago, I attended a dialogue session on Singapore Women's Development organised by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations. As housewives and caregivers, several female participants shared concerns about their financial situation.  

The family is the cornerstone of our society, and women play a crucial role in the family. Around us, we see many women juggling both work and family commitments. There are also many women who are homemakers, working hard for their families over the years. We know deep in our hearts that a warm, harmonious family provides a spiritual harbour for family members to return to after a hard day's work. With their tenderness, patience and resilience, women provide emotional support and assistance to family members.

 Their contributions are not directly captured in our GDP, but we know that their contributions have enabled their husbands and children to succeed, and helped build strong and happy families.

Every family is unique and the couple will share responsibilities according to their situation, in a way that is acceptable and suitable to both parties. The Government respects every family's choice and does its best to create a fair, harmonious environment, and formulate pro-family policies that keep up with the times, to provide relevant support to families based on their needs.  

The Government will also help women who have contributed to their families for many years and are approaching retirement age but have limited savings through schemes such as the Home Caregiving Grant and Silver Support Scheme. Family members can also show their care for their loved ones by tapping on the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme to help them save more for old age. These top-ups to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts are eligible for tax relief.  

While the Government does step in to help families in need, we should not intervene in a manner that is too intrusive, such as to monetise the relationship between a couple through mandating a spousal allowance. This will cause spousal relationships to deteriorate, turning it into monetary transactions with the Government acting as the arbiter.

Wives and housewives often say that they hope to be appreciated by their families, and that their contributions should not be taken for granted. They also hope to be financially self-sufficient, to take care of their own needs in old age when they are unable to work, instead of relying on children who may need to take care of their own families.  

I would like to urge all family members to fully recognise one another's contributions to the family, especially women who are wives and mothers, and to acknowledge and thank them for their hard work over the years. Besides expressing our appreciation, caring for and respecting family members, we can also consider topping up their CPF accounts which will be matched by the Government. This will give homemakers greater financial assurance for their future needs.

Together with contributions from the community and families, we can make Singapore a fairer and more inclusive society for our future generations.

Lastly, I would like to address questions raised on elective egg freezing.

Since the announcement has gone out, I have received many emails from women who welcome the choice but are concerned about the age limit.

Miss Cheng Li Hui had also suggested to extend the age limit to 40 years old. The upper age limit of 35 years old is pegged to the existing age limits for donor eggs for Assisted Reproduction Treatment. Some ask why this is so since this is a woman's own eggs rather than a donor's eggs. The reason is because it is founded on similar current international scientific evidence and professional consensus, which is that egg quality tends to decline significantly after 35 years old. We are making a big move with regards to providing the choice of elective egg freezing. it.  

The Government had taken time to study the issue because there are differing voices and views and concerns about elective egg freezing, such as whether we are encouraging women to put off marriage and parenthood when women face the hard truths and the scientific facts of the biological clock. The Government has the responsibility to let citizens know factually what the medical odds are of conceiving with frozen eggs.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the chance that a frozen egg will yield a baby currently stands at 2% to 12%. The further we push out the age range, the more the success rates fall. We have to be honest with our women because the procedure is invasive, it takes a toll on the women both physically and emotionally, and also costs the patient recurrent costs for storage.

But that said, we recognise with Miss Cheng Li Hui's point that many women only start thinking about fertility and egg freezing in their 30s. I would like to assure Miss Cheng Li Hui and many who hold similar views that we will continue to monitor medical developments and international data. For women who missed the local criteria slightly and who wish to appeal, they may seek the Assisted Reproduction practitioner's assistance to appeal on their behalf. More details will be provided to the AR Centres in due course.

I agree with Miss Cheng Li Hui that with more conversations, there is more awareness. I hope that this move to allow women to have the choice to freeze their eggs has also created some awareness and space for conversations about fertility health and cause women to think about these issues earlier.

The Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships is also starting to raise awareness on this matter to encourage couples to discuss and check their fertility early. The Government is also looking into supporting couples with ready access to evidence-based fertility health information to empower them to make fertility decisions and seek help if needed.

Ms Janet Ang spoke about her concern that younger women will now choose to postpone childbearing. I would like to assure the Member and others who have similar concerns, that we will continue to encourage and support Singaporeans to fulfil their marriage and parenthood goals, and to do so early to increase the chances of conceiving naturally and reduce age-related fertility complications. To guard against misinformation, and to help women make an informed choice, women will have to undergo pre-procedure counselling. We will highlight the limitations, the risks involved and that aged parenthood has its own challenges.

In conclusion, the White Paper has, at its heart, the desire of the Government to continue working alongside the community and all stakeholders to support our women while empowering them with opportunities and solutions, regardless of the circumstances that they are in.

We are grateful for the diverse feedback received. And we have had to navigate trade-offs, balance concerns while identifying the best way forward. More importantly, it is time now for us to take action. Let us come together and work collectively to build a fairer and more inclusive society, where men and women partner each other as equals.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Mr Speaker, Sir, let me start by thanking hon Members for their active participation and suggestions. 

There has been a marathon debate, feels almost like childbirth, but with epidural. So, quite painless. Because fortunately, support for the Motion is unanimous, whether from PAP or Opposition Members. And I want to thank Workers' Party, the PSP for speaking in support, even if we may not agree on everything. This is surely a good outcome for women and for Singapore.

In my opening speech, I encouraged Members to focus on two key elements of the Motion being debated: how to catalyse further collective action; and how to realise greater equality of partnership between women and men. I appreciate all Members who spoke and for contributing your proposals.

On catalysing collective action, Members like Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Abdul Samad highlighted the importance of tripartism. Ms Poh Li San emphasised the media's role in shifting mindsets and Mr Darryl David underscored the need for a whole-of-society approach to uplift women. 

On realising more equal partnerships, Members like Ms Nadia Samdin, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Louis Chua highlighted the role of men in caregiving and how institutional arrangements must encourage it.

My colleagues in Government have also responded to specific comments by Members.

On workplaces, the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs) will be implemented about two years from now.

To suggestions by Dr Wan Rizal, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Ms Jessica Tan and Mr Melvin Yong to bring it forward, Minister of State Gan Siow Huang has highlighted that, in fact, MOM will promote greater adoption of the existing tripartite standards, to boost momentum for the eventual implementation of the guidelines. So, things are moving.

On protection against violence and harms, Ms Sylvia Lim made suggestions concerning family violence. Minister Shanmugam has outlined the holistic response that MHA is taking.

Responding to Ms Hany Soh and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Senior Minister of State Sim Ann has elaborated on how the Sunlight Alliance for Action will promote greater awareness of online harms, and provide more holistic support to advocates in the community, as well as victims.

On support for caregivers, many Members, such as Miss Rachel Ong and Mr Vikram Nair have welcomed the enhancement of the Home Caregiving Grant.

Ms Joan Pereira, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Tin Pei Ling called on the Government to increase the capacity for respite care. In response, Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam shared the Health Ministry's commitment to make it more accessible and affordable.

To Mr Yip Hon Weng's suggestion, Minister of State Low Yen Ling shared how the Government is working with community partners to strengthen peer support networks to better support caregivers.  

On changing mindsets, we absolutely agree with Ms Ng Ling Ling, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Leon Perera, Dr Shahira Abdullah and Ms Carrie Tan that it is foundational. We also agree with Ms Janet Ang and Assoc Prof Jamus Lim that more women are ready today for leadership roles. 

Minister Masagos has declared his support and his Ministry's active interventions on this front. At the same time, Minister Ong Ye Kung underscored society's collective duty.

Sir, even with extensive consultations and wide-ranging engagements, no White Paper or Parliamentary debate on women's development can claim to have addressed all pertinent issues that Singaporeans care about. 

Some questions take time to consider, like those raised by Ms Hazel Poa on mandating CPF top-ups for caregivers by their spouses or those by Miss Rachel Ong and Mr Gerald Giam on legislating parental or family care leave. 

Other questions have no simple answers. For example, should paternity and maternity leave benefits be equalised to better reflect the desire for equal sharing of responsibilities between fathers and mothers in caring for their newborns? 

But as Minister of State Sun Xueling has pointed out, societal norms constrain men from fully utilising existing leave provisions. More leave provided does not automatically lead to more leave taken. At which point would mindsets have shifted sufficiently such that the equal provision of parental leave would in fact result in the equal sharing of responsibilities?

Questions like these should not be forgotten. Every now and then, we should revisit them. And even if we do not, Mr Louis Ng will make sure that we do. [Laughter.]

Like the subject of elective egg freezing, which Miss Cheng Li Hui championed for years, it takes time to develop deeper understanding and to build consensus on what is right for our women and our society. Likewise, for workplace fairness which Labour Members of Parliament have actively championed and worked on the ground to achieve for years, new legislation builds on the steady gains we have already made to boost female employment in every age group.

Sir, by any measure, this White Paper and its 25 recommendations are a major milestone for our whole-of-nation approach to Singapore women's development. In fact, the White Paper distills the views of Singaporeans over the year-long conversations. As early as September last year, Prime Minister Lee had outlined its key recommendations. 

Sir, this makes me a little puzzled for me to hear Ms He Ting Ru say there is not sufficient time to consider them. It also seems contrary to calls on the Government to move faster not on recommendations but on implementation.

This is because when fully implemented, the White Paper promises to realise more closely our vision of a fairer and more inclusive society where men and women partner each other as equals and can pursue their aspirations freely and to the fullest.

In truth, advancing the cause of women's development is a journey without end. In every generation, we must find new ways to elevate women. We cross each new milestone in the hopes of going further to reach the next. 

As we commit ourselves to action, it is also worth asking what today's debate has achieved. I suggest to Members that its greatest contribution is in upholding the values we hold dear as a society and which will serve as our north star as we seek out the next milestones in women's development.

What are these values? The first and foremost has to be the equality of women and men.

History is replete with examples of women being subjugated by men. In ancient Athens, widely regarded as the birthplace of democracy, women received little education. They lived in their own quarters separate from men – maybe it is for their own protection – and were confined to household duties. Not that these were unimportant but women were otherwise excluded in society.

Even towards the end of the European Age of Enlightenment, French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that women did not need to be educated to the same extent as men since their main duty in life was to please their husbands and educate their sons.

Similar attitudes permeated Eastern tradition. Confucius had a famous saying, "女子无才便是德", meaning the lack of talent in a woman is a virtue.

It is clear from this debate that here in modern-day Singapore, we firmly reject such narrow-mindedness towards women. Instead, we reaffirm the value of equality between women and men. No one is left in doubt that Singapore women should have equal opportunities to pursue their aspirations as much as men.

The tone of this debate has also upheld the value of partnership. Women should be regarded as equal partners of men not only at work but also at home. We believe that more for girls and women does not mean less for boys and men. Workplace fairness, flexible work arrangements and caregiver support benefit women as well as men. We aim to ensure that advances for one do not diminish the other. Instead, it strengthens boys and men when our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters are uplifted.

In a true partnership, both gain from each other's growth. This is the only sustainable way forward. In the same way, the partnership between the Government and the community at large has helped to bring about positive change for Singapore women.

A third and essential value underpinning equality and partnership is that of mutual respect between men and women. 

As a society, we should respect women's place in it and honour their contributions. Equally, we respect men's choice and ability to support women in their capacities as fathers, husbands, brothers, bosses, colleagues and friends.

Mutual respect shapes our attitudes and beliefs about women and men. They reach the corners of our minds that laws, regulations, guidelines and practices will never fully reach. They determine the culture and norms within which we all live. They move our hearts and spur us to action so that supporting women is a "want to do" rather than "have to do".

At its core, respect means that women should not be exploited. Women should not be sidelined. Women should not be stereotyped. Rather, women deserve to be recognised for their contributions. Women deserve to be empowered to succeed. Women deserve to be respected as equal partners in society.

These core values of equality, partnership and mutual respect must endure with every step we take in advancing women's interests. It is now up to us to put our values once again into action.

Sir, I would like to bring this debate to a close by returning to its core significance. More than anything else, this White Paper is about honouring Singapore women, recognising their place in society and committing to achieve further progress for women. Over the past decades, Singapore women have achieved exceptional progress in various fields. This White Paper is therefore about honouring Singapore women and recognising their place in society.

We honour them for fighting the battles to be seen and heard, to be recognised and valued. We honour them for their unyielding spirit that has led to many triumphs over adversity. We honour them for their unwavering commitment to blazing a trail and paving the way for other women to succeed.

The value of the White Paper goes beyond legislative and policy changes. Through a whole-of-nation plan of action, it aims to achieve further progress for Singapore women by putting the values we hold dear into action.

At its core, the White Paper seeks to build a fairer and more inclusive society where Singapore women, partnering men as equals, with mutual respect, can pursue and fulfill their aspirations freely and fully.

Sir, at the start of the debate, I described my own struggles as a working woman, highlighting the men who were my staunchest allies: my husband, my father, father in-law, my brothers, my bosses and my colleagues.

Equally, many women in my life have been instrumental.

My popo, a widow from the time she was in her late 30s, began to educate me well before I started school. Riding on a little trishaw in Joo Chiat to visit her former midwife and her relatives, popo pointed to all the signboards on the shops that we passed to teach me to recognise Chinese characters.

Thanks to popo's spirit of adventure, I served as her English-speaking travel guide on trips abroad and cultivated my own curiosity about the world. I remember filling all the immigration forms. That is how you learn English. Not too bad a way.

My mother, a former Police officer, held court at work and at home. She is not one to easily take no for an answer nor will she ever retreat to helplessness in any situation. Because of mom, I learnt how to juggle my studies, my passion for basketball as well as preparing meals daily for my younger brothers.

My mother-in-law, who had raised seven children on a shoe-string and cared for half a dozen more grandchildren, graciously helped with our late additions when they arrived. Without her support in those critical first years, I would easily have given up.

My twin daughters whose wide-eyed wonder and joyful encouragement inspired mommy to finally get a driver's licence.

My reliable helper of 23 years whom I always introduced as "the children's real mother", she won her 10-year fight against breast cancer and is still with us.

Khoo Seok Lin, Director of Planning in EDB in the 1990s, who stuck her neck out to recommend a scholarship for me because she believed there was room in the organisation for both me and the only other scholarship recipient that year – a man. 

Shirley Chen and Anna Chan who as my bosses showed how women can assert our views with conviction and grace.  

My personal assistants (PAs) and security officers at different times – Patricia, Alice, Wendy, Chris, Jeya, Alicia, Eunice, Iris, Jocelyn, Silver and Charlene. I am so blessed to have them in my life because they make every day better for me.

My best friends forever since childhood, my newfound sisters in the Labour Movement and PAP Women's Wing with whom I share laughter and tears. 

Sir, at its core, the White Paper is about enabling all the women around us to be the best that they can be so that we in turn empower each other as role models, as teachers and mentors, as advocates and champions, as helpers and supporters.

Years later when we look back, it is the fact of so many more stories to tell, so many more women to honour, that we know today's efforts have borne fruit. Years later when we look back, it is the fact of so many more collective actions, so many more ground-up initiatives, that we see the power of alignment in hearts and minds towards the common cause of women's development.

Years later when we look back, this must be a moment to celebrate, because we leaned forward to achieve greater progress for Singapore women, we put our values into action once again and jointly ushered in a new dawn, leading to a fairer and more inclusive society, where more women partner men as equals, fulfil more of our aspirations freely and fully! Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Source: Hansard