Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations Celebrates International Women’s Day 2022: A Bouquet of Hearts

Ms Junie Foo, President of Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO)

Member organisations of SCWO

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening. It is my pleasure to join you today.

Let me begin by congratulating the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) for launching this fundraising event, in conjunction with International Women’s Day 2022. Due to COVID-19, SCWO has leveraged technology to enable us to gather virtually for this Gala Dinner.

We celebrate IWD every year not because we recognise women only once a year. The purpose of designating a specific day in a year, is to give us the chance to reflect on how women’s varied contributions, past and present, have positively impacted our society in significant ways.  It is also an opportunity to take stock of the progress and achievements that we have made and the areas that we need to further improve.

Amongst the significant milestones that we had achieved was the enactment of the Women’s Charter in 1960, a landmark legislation during its time. Since then, the status of women in Singapore has progressed steadily, with the support of families, communities, and society. From stepping up as board members and political leaders, to being nurturing role models and parental figures, women have demonstrated their undeniable prowess and multi-faceted capabilities. These are remarkable achievements, but many challenges remain.

One important role that has disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of women is caregiving. Many women have had to give up their careers or opt for a slower career track to take care of children, elderly parents, or other family members with disabilities. Yet, I’m always puzzled whenever I meet homemakers and they tell me that they are not working because of caregiving responsibilities. Often, I’ve had to disabuse them of this notion that they are not contributing economically because they stay at home to do work which would otherwise have to be performed by a paid staff either in an institution or through paid home caregiving. Women become full time caregivers out of necessity but what sustains them is their love for their family.

Full time caregiving is work, tough and arduous work. Imagine taking care of a parent with dementia 24/7 with no respite. We don’t need studies or research to tell us that this can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental health although such studies abound. But our society places little value on such caregiving work so much so that even our caregivers don’t value themselves. This must change. Our caregivers deserve better. With a longer lifespan and better healthcare, the burden of caregiving will increase tremendously. We must tackle this on all fronts.

Families need to accord greater value and support to those who take on the responsibility of caregiving, like taking turns to provide respite to a sibling taking care of frail elderly parents, so that the main caregiver can take some time off to recharge.

Companies can provide greater support to staff with caregiving duties through flexible work arrangements, paid family care leave or other measures.

The Government can strengthen support for caregivers by making it easier for them to access affordable respite care with greater options for them to choose from. Many caregivers also suffer from financial insecurity as they don’t have savings to take care of their own retirement needs. Fear of destitution is a real concern, and we can do more to allay such fears. Caregivers of children with disabilities also deserve particular attention as many have shared with me about their financial insecurities, lack of respite care and insufficient support programmes for PWDs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted individuals. Many sectors were disrupted, including social services and charitable organisations like SCWO, even though it is in times like this when their services are in greater demand. Due to imposed restrictions to minimise transmissions within the community, many charity programmes and services were affected. It has become harder for them to engage volunteers and organise fund-raising events.

Despite these challenges, we see SCWO’s resilience as they adapt their operations to continue serving their beneficiaries. The Star Shelter resumed their efforts in helping women in vulnerable situations, while the Maintenance Support Central continues to support clients in need of guidance and assurance.

Today, SCWO aims to raise funds for their programmes that help to increase awareness and mitigate issues faced by women and girls in Singapore. This online fundraising event will not only act as a platform for financial support, but also serve as an opportunity to celebrate and honour every woman and girl.

We have advanced considerably as a nation when it comes to empowering, uplifting, and protecting Singapore women. However, as our society evolves, new challenges have also surfaced. Respect and partnership remain key building blocks for our collective future.

In closing, I wish to thank SCWO and your member organisations for your dedication and commitment to women’s development.  Have a great evening ahead.

Thank you.