Go out to work? Stay home and care for our loved ones? Or juggle both these roles as best as we can each day?
As Singaporean women, we face these choices each day. We are expected to be (just to name a few roles) mums, wives, sisters, daughters, colleagues and caregivers.
It is a lot. Mom guilt is real. So is caregiver fatigue.
Our Women’s Wing gathers this weekend for our annual Conference. The agenda? A more inclusive sharing of this load overall, so that across Singapore we all thrive equally.
Yeo Wan Ling: Flexible Work Arrangements
“‘Support for SG Families’ is the theme of this year’s PAP Women’s Wing Conference,” said Women’s Wing Research Head MP Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC).
“From supporting women workers and celebrating Dads, to expanding caregiving resources and powering-up FWAs [Flexible Work Arrangements] – Ladies, let’s reach for the stars!” she detailed.
That FWA power-up is a mission dear to MP Yeo in particular. She’s worked to promote FWAs widely and broadly — whyever not, when about 260,000 of Singapore’s women of economic age currently do not work because of caregiving and housekeeping duties?
Source: Yeo Wan Ling / Facebook
Lately, too, MP Yeo, who is also the Director of National Trades Union Congress U Women and Family (U WAF), launched the C U Back at work (CUB) Programme which, well, helps women get back into the workforce with FWA-friendly employers. CUB even has supportive women mentors for those of us wanting to take this step.
Carrie Tan: Caregiving communities
MP Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC) is passionate about the Conference’s push for more caregiving as a community.
“When men and society take some care burdens from the shoulders of women, women can have more space on their shoulders and for daughters to stand on,” she said, seeing how caregiving is better when people share the load.
Previously, MP Tan has recommended support for caregivers including income supplements, community “time-swapping” care arrangements between neighbours.
“I hope this conference helps participants of different age groups and backgrounds to gain deeper understanding and appreciation of the various roles and challenges women face at different life stages in their lives,” she told Petir.sg.
Source: Carrie Tan / Facebook
“By sharing and learning together, we can do our part to build a more supportive community to ease the burdens of women in society.”
Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: The measure of a man
Dads and husbands feature in that sharing, learning and support.
“As fathers, how we treat, speak and respect women in our lives would be how our daughters would expect to be treated and what is expected of our sons,” he posted earlier this week (Jul 24), about the role men play.
Source: Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim / Facebook
“#daddiesmustbesteady,” he added.
MPs Yeo, Tan and Zhulkarnian in fact, each went on Learning Journeys alongside members of the public and community partners last month — all the better with which to empower Singapore’s women at work, care and family.
These three Learning Journeys will be a can’t-miss highlight at this weekend’s Conference.
The Conference itself advances the feminist activism which the Women’s Wing has done since the days of the Women’s League in 1956. We know that when societies uplift women — and when there are policies and advocates for helping daughters, sisters, mothers, wives and matriarchs achieve their full potential — life only gets better as we move forward together.