Speech by President Halimah Yacob at 28th Exemplary Mother Award 2021 Presentation Ceremony

Datuk Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, President of Jamiyah Singapore

Ms Claire Chiang, Chairperson of the Exemplary Mother Award Panel of Judges

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today to celebrate the achievements of mothers, and to present the Exemplary Mother Award 2021.

This is the 28th year of the Award. I am heartened that we continue to value the contributions of mothers of all ages, races and religions. Thank you, Jamiyah, for leading this effort and organising today’s event to recognise the two recipients of this year’s award.

The last twenty months have been difficult for everyone because of COVID-19 and the many restrictions imposed on our movement and social activities. The impact on women, has been even more drastic as women carry a greater share of the caregiving responsibilities at home. As more activities for work and caregiving are moved online, women find themselves having to juggle both work and caregiving at the same time. Hence, while we welcome hybrid work as one positive outcome of the pandemic, opening opportunities for women to remain gainfully employed, we also need to acknowledge the greater stress that such work arrangements place on women as compartmentalisation of work and family duties is difficult to achieve at home. For many women, the office provides them with an enriching environment where they can engage with co-workers, bounce off ideas and receive support and encouragement for the work that they do. A hybrid work environment could limit such exposures and experiences. Notwithstanding such limitations, a properly organised hybrid workplace can be beneficial to women, particularly for those who cannot work outside the home, but it must be carefully thought through, adequately resourced for home-based work and the rewards properly structured to ensure fair evaluations.

Another undesirable outcome of the pandemic is the increased mental toll that it has taken on women. The Lancet, a medical journal, reported that globally, COVID-19 has led to a sharp increase in anxiety and depression, and women have fared worse than men. The greater increase in mental health issues prevalent among women compared to men was anticipated because women are more likely to be affected by the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. Additional caregiving and household responsibilities due to school closures or family members becoming unwell are more likely to fall on women. Women are also subject to greater financial stress during the pandemic due to the lower salaries, less savings, and less secure employment that they hold, compared to their male counterparts. They are also more likely to be victims of domestic violence, the prevalence of which increased during periods of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. This is an alarming global report, and although I have not seen a similar study in Singapore on how the pandemic has affected the mental health of women compared to men, I would not be surprised if there are similarities. To overcome this situation, having more programmes alone to help women will not be sufficient. We need to see a more fundamental shift in mindsets, attitudes and social norms where there is respect and understanding of women’s place as equal partners in society and not as subservient, supporting members of the cast.

Yet another aspect of the pandemic that has disproportionately affected women, is the increase in the burden of their caregiving responsibilities. This situation was already prevalent before the pandemic, but has become even more acute during these twenty months when the pandemic raged on. As people are confined to their homes, caregivers have seen their stress levels climb to an all-time high. Many caregivers are providing help or are “on call” almost all day. During this period, many programmes providing respite care are suspended or restricted for health and safety reasons. Some have gone online, but it is never the same.

A survey shows that there are about 210,000 caregivers in Singapore, although I feel that this figure is probably an underestimation considering the extent of ageing in our society. Most caregivers are women, and the majority are aged 40 and above. In the US, by comparison, 1 out of every 5 Americans is a caregiver. For a long time, we have been undervaluing caregiving work, although the cost to society if recipients of caregiving are institutionalised would be tremendous. A recent Institute of Mental Health (IMH) survey shows that six types of mental illness cost society $1.7b a year. But this covers only direct medical cost and productivity loss. It excludes other costs such as caregiver burden, which refers to loss of income or reduced income if the caregiver can only work shorter hours.

We need to provide better support to caregivers who are doing an invaluable service not only to their families, but also to society, by taking on the burden of caregiving and not transferring the care to the public or the state. Our caregivers’ greatest concerns are two-fold; who will take care of their loved ones who need caregiving when they grow old and frail, and how will they survive retirement without enough savings or income of their own. These are legitimate concerns. Although there are currently some benefits extended to caregivers, we need to review them to ensure their relevance and adequacy in meeting the needs of caregivers.

As more women join the labour force, take on leadership and decision-making roles, and contribute to our society, there is a need for effective policies and programmes to help them integrate more fully into our economy and society. The Government recently concluded a year-long, nation-wide Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development co-organised with our community partners. The Conversations are part of a broader Government effort to engage a wide range of Singaporeans to understand their aspirations for Singapore women, and mindset changes required for the further advancement of Singapore women. I am glad to hear Dr Hasbi saying that Jamiyah has also made some suggestions and recommendations. I am sure all these recommendations will be very useful coming from different segments in our community, our society, our womenfolk and I hope holistically that will lead to a very good paper. From this feedback and ideas shared at the Conversations will be consolidated into a White Paper to be presented to Parliament in early 2022.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development has designated 2021 as the Year of Celebrating SG Women – with respect as the cornerstone of the rapport and partnership between men and women to celebrate women’s multi-faceted roles in society. We also celebrate the men who help to debunk stereotypes, change mindsets and play an active role in supporting and uplifting women.

In a similar vein, the Exemplary Mother Award and the Exemplary Young Mother Award recognise and celebrate sacrifices, determination and resilience of mothers in overcoming life’s many challenges. The awards honour mothers from all walks of life who have left an indelible mark on the lives of their family members and the community. The awards pay tribute to the many accomplishments of mothers which often go unnoticed. The awards recognise the integral role that mothers play in building strong families, strong communities and a strong nation.

It has been a half century – 56 years to be exact – since we became independent. We can look back with pride on our many achievements across diverse fields and the many glass ceilings that we have broken along the way, but we cannot be completely satisfied. Progress is a journey and there’s still so much to do, so many more paths to traverse and an exciting future to reach out for.

Let me congratulate all the finalists here today on your achievements, and the two award winners for your outstanding contributions.

Thank you once again Jamiyah Singapore for organising this event every year to recognise our women, our mothers’ contributions.