Speech by President Halimah Yacob at PPIS Harmony Raya 2023

Mdm Hazlina Abdul Halim, PPIS President

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon. I am heartened to see many women leaders and community partners in our midst today. It gives me great pleasure to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Mother’s Day with every one of you here.

Let me begin by thanking the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS) for organising this meaningful interfaith event. The PPIS Harmony Raya is an annual celebration that brings together women from diverse secular and faith-based organisations, forming a safe space for discourse on emerging topics to effect positive change. It seeks to build bridges and deepen relations among different communities, contributing to our goal of building a socially cohesive society. 

To commemorate Mother’s Day, the theme of this year’s Harmony Raya is “Women's Greatest Role Models”. This serves to recognise the “mother figures” within our diverse communities. There are many exemplary women who have paved the way in speaking up for fellow women and in shaping the lives of future generations of women. One example is the late Mdm Khatijun Nissa Siraj, who co-founded PPIS to provide Muslim women a platform to voice their issues and advocated for efforts to better protect them through legislation. Her selfless service to the community will be remembered. 

Following in the footsteps of Mdm Khatijun Nissa Siraj to strengthen legal support for women, I am happy to hear that PPIS will launch its Legal Consultation service as part of its new “Women Space” initiative. The service will increase access to legal support for women through complimentary legal aid and referrals, as well as promote legal awareness and education to women of all races and religions. This is part of the concerted efforts of PPIS to nurture resilient families and promote an inclusive society.

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a community to collectively nurture and groom a pipeline of future women leaders. Female role models and mentors engender a multiplier effect in society when they positively influence younger women by increasing the latter’s confidence, achievement levels, and psycho-social well-being. This is supported by research from around the world. For instance, a recent study from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics and Political Science found that the academic performance of female students in a German public university benefitted from direct and frequent interactions with their female professors.  Cultivating visible and active female role models is thus key to nurturing a healthy ecosystem of support which will motivate women to maximise their potential and attain their highest aspirations. 

Mentoring and peer-to-peer support are also crucial ingredients to support women in navigating the workplace. In Singapore, the employment rate of females has seen a good increase from 68.5% in 2012 to 76.2% in 2022. Singapore women today are also attaining higher positions and breaking glass ceilings. According to the latest figures from the Council for Board Diversity, also known as CBD, the percentage of women on boards of Top-100 listed companies has reached 21.5%, which is almost a three-fold increase from 7.5% in 2014. A Deloitte report released last year highlighted that Singapore had the highest percentage of women CEOs internationally in 2021. We also ranked 28th globally and fourth in Asia on gender boardroom balance.  Women are now better represented in senior management positions and consequently on the boards of organisations in Singapore. Such progress did not come easy. I was involved in the CBD, and we spent a tremendous amount of effort reaching out to companies to explain why we needed more women leaders on boards. 

Cultivating gender-diverse teams and supporting more women leaders in areas such as, flexible work arrangements, strengthening workplace fairness, as well as female mentorship and sponsorship programmes are some ways to help our women participate more fully in the workplace and fulfil their best potential. We are also working to increase women’s representation on boards with efforts led by the CBD and to raise awareness of the importance of board diversity. Having leaders with varied experiences, skillsets and perspectives will enable organisations to be nimbler and more competitive. This applies not only to profit-driven organisations which are publicly listed, but non-profit organisations and Government agencies too. We see healthy developments in the representation of women on the boards of non-profit organisations, although there is always room for improvement. Diversity is good for any organisation and for society. Ultimately, what we want is a society which has a diversity of views and representation.

However, there remains considerable latitude to do more. Societal expectations continue to place women in the role of primary caregivers, even as they juggle work and other responsibilities. This is perhaps why women may find it hard to take up leadership roles. During my time at NTUC, I had to persuade younger women to take up leadership positions in their own unions or in the labour movement. Many faced the difficulty of balancing work and family. Thus, the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development sets out 25 collective action plans that include key areas such as “Equal Opportunities in the Workplace” and “Recognition and Support for Caregivers” that will enable both men and women to better balance work and caregiving responsibilities. The White Paper was tabled last year. It is now up to women leaders and organisations, PPIS included, to monitor whether the needle has moved and to ensure that the action plans are implemented and taking effect. 

The issue of caregiving has been greatly discussed. Women are usually the main caregivers, whether in looking after young children or ageing parents and grandparents. It is not easy to become role models or take up leadership positions when women must also undertake caregiving responsibilities. However, these very caregivers exhibit the qualities of a role model. If nobody stepped up to undertake these tasks, our society will be all the poorer. I hope that our society will increasingly realise the importance of caregivers and will provide some recognition for their contributions.

Beyond legislation and policies, mindset shifts are required to break gender biases and traditional expectations of roles that men and women play. A whole-of-society partnership is necessary to shift mindsets towards a fairer and more inclusive society, where men and women partner each other as equals to fulfil their aspirations. This starts in the family setting – which is the bedrock of our society, and where this equal partnership is nurtured and promoted. At the workplace, we must continue to foster workplace cultures that recognise and encourage women with leadership potential to advance women’s development. 

I recently had a dialogue with young girls organised by the Singapore Scout Association. During the presentations, one of the girls expressed her unhappiness at how a teacher had commented that she should not have performed so poorly in art because she was a girl. I am glad that the girl was unhappy with that statement. Math and science are not only for boys, and girls do not have to be good in art. Even 14-year-olds now are aware of being stereotyped. The fact that young girls are thinking about these perspectives is a very good development. They know that they have potential in any area if they try their best.

In closing, let me call on everyone present today to commit to a collective and collaborative approach towards building a more inclusive society. Let us galvanise our efforts to co-create and catalyse solutions in pursuit of women’s development. There is certainly no lack of talented women or female role models in Singapore. I see many across the room today. Here, we have a panel of female interfaith experts who will share on women role models and thought leaders from their respective faith groups. These women have impacted their respective communities and defined their own versions of success. 

As Patron of PPIS, let me also express how proud I am of how far the organisation has come. Partners such as PPIS play an important role in our social compact and are crucial to supporting the further progress of our women, their families and uplifting those who need help. I sincerely believe that only when women progress much further will we see stronger families and a better society. The scope for improving women’s development is tremendous – there is much work to be done. The Government has dedicated this year as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners, which aims to recognise the integral contributions of partners from the social service sector, corporates, and Institutes of Higher Learning to support individuals, build strong families and a caring society.

I am confident that PPIS and its partners will continue to break new grounds as a thought leader and agent of positive change in women’s development. By working alongside key stakeholders and community partners, PPIS has streamlined efforts to improve access to services and resources for women. I urge you to continue these efforts to deepen our sense of shared identity and mutual responsibility towards one another, as part of our social compact. Together, we can empower future generations of women leaders. 

Let me end by wishing you Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you.