For decades, International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated around the world. Every year on 8th March, people come together to reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality as well as celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of all women.
In Singapore, much progress has been made over the past 60 years. The turning point was the enactment of the Women’s Charter in 1961, which raised the status of females and promoted greater equity between men and women. Within resource-scarce Singapore, the need for women in the workforce, and womanpower has been a vital factor in Singapore’s economic development. Throughout Singapore’s history, we have seen the implementation of women-friendly policies and structures to help advance females in areas such as education and access to the workforce. In the late 1950s, only a fifth of women of working age had jobs and more than half of the women were illiterate. With the implementation of educational reforms in the 1960s, girls’ and women’s access to schooling improved significantly. Literacy rates rose steadily over the years from 34% in 1957 to 96.4% in 2021. The mean years of schooling for girls tripled from 3.7 in 1980 to 11.3 in 2021. Alongside increased access to education and higher literacy rates, female participation in the labour force also grew – with women moving beyond traditionally feminine jobs such as occupations in beauty parlours and salons. Today, we see women at work in every area of the economy. In the last decade alone, women in Singapore have seen their real median income rise by about 32%, and a majority are in PMET jobs.
Nevertheless, women still face discrimination in the workplace. This can be overt such as when women are barred from certain jobs or it can be from an unconscious bias that stems from stereotypes and mindsets. In fact, research reveals that a common problem that underpins the current state of gender inequality at the workplace stems from unconscious bias. Today, issues that plague gender equality in Singapore such as barriers to equal participation and leadership remain. The pay gap between men and women continues to be a real issue. In its first nationwide report on the gender pay gap, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that in 2018, the unadjusted pay gap was at 16.3%, while the adjusted pay gap was at 6% or $324 a month. Experts also say women are held back because the corporate culture in Singapore penalises them if they decide to spend a few years out of the workforce – often due to domestic duties. When it comes to gender equality in the workplace, much work remains to be done.
So with this in mind, we spoke to some of the incredible women trailblazing in their respective areas of work to find out what advice they have for women at the workplace. Ranging in background and industry, each of these women provided us with practical tips and their best career advice:
1. Dr Mandy Tham, Associate Professor of Finance (Education), SMU
To all the other women at the workplace, I have three pieces of advice. My first advice is “Gender inequality is everywhere, even at home, not to mention at the workplace. Do not allow ourselves to be trapped emotionally by our gender at the workplace.”
I have always been in male-dominated disciplines and have learned how to find my niche. So, my next piece of advice is “Learn how to navigate at the workplace”. Reach out to the many leaders out there as mentors for guidance.
My last advice is “Do not feel guilty about your choices. Extend the gift of grace and be fair to yourself”. Many women made a conscious choice to prioritise family over career by taking a few years out from work to be caregivers. Yet, when some of them return to the workplace and cannot catch up with their male peers in terms of promotion/compensation/skills, they beat themselves up over their previous choice and either work themselves overboard or lose their confidence. Our success in life is not solely measured by success in our careers.
Dr Mandy Tham is an associate professor of finance on the education track at LKCSB, the Academic Director of the Master of Science in Wealth Management degree programme, a Fellow of the SMU Academy, a Sino Suisse Fellow, and an Adult Education Specialist recognised by Singapore SkillsFuture. She teaches in multiple SMU Academy programmes, such as The Role of Family Governance in Family Businesses, and Behavioral Biases and Implications for Investment Advisory.
2. Karen Cheah, Founder & CEO, Alterpacks
My best advice to other women at the workplace? Your career will be made up of amazing highs and crushing lows. So, learn how to land. Accept the accolades that you will receive with grace, and with generosity of spirit, give credit when it’s due. Don’t be afraid of failure. You can be your own worst enemy if you keep worrying about what others think. There will always be the nay-sayers, but the words of Eleanor Roosevelt are a great reality check to a bruised ego – “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realised how seldom they do.”
Karen Cheah is the founder Alterpacks, a Singapore-based start-up focused on sustainability solutions using food waste. Apart from working with scientists and industry partners to create a new material using food waste to replace plastics, she is also an instructor on several SMU Academy programmes, including Media Analysis and Strategy and Strategies for Persuasive Presentations.
3. Germaine Goh, Chief Education Officer, SG Code Campus
Firstly, a big thank you to the female friends I consulted for sharing their thoughts, which helped shaped some of the ideas I will be mentioning. So here is my advice to all the women out there: don’t feel like you have to adopt stereotypically male attributes in order to fit in and succeed. Get to know yourself well, take time to reflect and identify your strengths, then capitalise on them, even if they are different from the traits conventionally viewed as necessary for success. Maybe you are emotionally resilient, or good at managing differences among teammates. You could step up in a tense situation and offer a calm voice of reason. Contribute in a way that works for you.
Women often tend to be more self-critical, especially in a culture that has reinforced certain stereotypes. Keep in mind that “imposter syndrome” is experienced by a large proportion of women, so question your self-doubt. Imagine a man in your place—would you, or others, judge him as harshly as you judge yourself? If the answer is no, you know what to do!
Finally, find or build community. Find mentors and colleagues—male or female—who value and champion your work. Find fellow women, at work or outside, with whom you can share experiences and support, and learn and grow together.
Germaine Goh is the Chief Education Officer at SG Code Campus, a coding school for students of all ages, where she develops curriculum and oversees curricular and instructional quality. Germaine is also an instructor in the SMU Academy Professional in Python programming, powered by SG Code Campus.
4. Val Yap, Founder & CEO, PolicyPal
As a female entrepreneur, my advice to fellow women is to not be afraid! Believe in yourself and your capabilities. Have faith in your confidence, put your abilities out on display and demonstrate your proficiency. Seek out a mentor that can understand the difficulties that you face so that he/ she can aid you in your personal development. Most importantly, surround yourself with positivity and never let the struggles bring you down.
Val Yap is the founder of an InsurTech startup, PolicyPal, which aims to make financial planning affordable and accessible to everyone. With her expertise, she teaches in SMU Academy programmes such as InsurTech 101: The Drivers of Innovation in Insurance, Collaborative Future of Insurtech and Shifting Insurance Distribution Models.
5. Dr Tan Sze Sze, Principal Food Safety & Nutrition Consultant, Food Literacy LLP
My advice to all women is to treasure yourself! These include your health, knowledge and skills, talents, accomplishments and many more. When you treasure yourself, you will safeguard your possessions from harm and nurture them to grow and flourish. This will help you to realise your strength, stay focused to reach your goals, keep learning for better performance to achieve your career and life goals. And to those at the workplace, keep learning and developing yourself. Take the initiatives to reach out to your colleagues and bosses for help or collaboration. Be bold to show your talent and capability at work. Be assertive to ask for recognition and/ or rewards from the management in return for the good work you have contributed to your organisations.
Dr Tan Sze Sze runs her own training and consulting firm, Food Literacy LLP, with the objective of providing high-quality training and consulting services on food safety and nutrition to both business clients and consumers. As a well-known expert in her field, she is a trainer and mentor in the SMU Academy Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness programme.
6. Helene Li, Co-Founder & CEO, GoImpact Capital Partners
Diversity and inclusion is very much part of my journey as a seasoned banker turned Impact / ESG entrepreneur. And as a founder, I recognise that accelerating gender equity is too strong a business case to be ignored. So, my advice to all the women out there is to never let the thought of your gender hold you back from any endeavours. A competent leader is gender agnostic – I am a good leader, not a good “female leader”! Be confident that your solid performance will do the talking, but don’t let that become a best-kept secret. And don’t forget to send the ladder down to help others when you have risen to the top.
Helene Li started GoImpact Capital Partners as a platform to bridge learning and investment gaps - tying the talk to the walk; driving the pledges to actions. Besides her role as co-founder and CEO of GoImpact, Helene is also a renowned key opinion leader on Fintech, Digital Transformation and Sustainable Finance. With her vast experience, knowledge and expertise, Helene is a trainer and mentor in SMU Academy’s sustainability-related programmes such as Certificate in Impact Investing and Mega Trends in Sustainability and Through the lens of World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Biodiversity Conservation.
7. Deon Senturk, CEO, CLIMB by TalentPlus
My advice to fellow women pursuing their career goals - be in the driver's seat and find a workplace that best fits your talent, values, and development. Learn to rise and let your qualities be known, let go of what others think of you. Have the courage to own your story and the confidence to make the ask because you are your best advocate. Seek out a mentor who could support your journey of self-discovery and, at the same time, mentor others who need your help. In the workplace, take responsibility for cultivating a culture of promoting diversity and celebrating women's accomplishments. On a more personal level, one important reminder is self-compassion. We tend to be our own worst critics, always very hard on ourselves, wanting to do it all and afraid of disappointing. But it is absolutely okay not to be able to do it all, remember to give yourself permission to take a break and be kind, and forgiving in the process.
Deon Senturk the Chief Executive of CLIMB by Talent Plus. CLIMB is a leadership development programme at SMU Academy that focuses on Small Medium Enterprise (SME) businesses’ growth and transformation.
8. Grace Cheah, Founder, Sustinere Pte. Ltd
My advice to women at the workplace is to not be afraid to try new things or take the road less travelled. It is better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all. Listen to what others share or comment about your work, it is important to continually improve and learn from each other!
Grace Cheah is the founder of Sustinere, a consultancy providing sustainability related services. A continuous learner herself, Grace holds a WSQ Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment and a WSQ Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education on top of her M.Sc. in Biochemical Research from Imperial College London and B.Sc. (Hons) in Biotechnology from University College London. Drawing from her work in various industry sectors and consultancy experience, Grace imparts her knowledge in the SMU Academy Advanced Certificate in Sustainability & Sustainable Businesses programme.
9. Eliza Quek, Co-Founder and Deputy Chair, Terrific Mentors International
Be yourself! That’s the best advice I have for everyone out there. And this begins with acceptance of who we are, warts and all. The journey often starts with self-empathy and compassion, accepting our own strengths and limitations. Hold onto your uniqueness and differentiating proposition.
No matter where you are in your career, we need to continuously develop ourselves to survive and thrive in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous and Hyper-connected (VUCAH) world. Invest in keeping up to date with current affairs and seek opportunities aligned with shifts in market demand. Strengthen grit and resilience. Optimism and realism will take you further than pessimism so do not doubt your ambition. Every obstacle you encounter can be re-framed as a gift and opportunity.
Keep honing skills in identifying and navigating emotions. Learn to provide evidence of agility. Be skilled in conducting crucial, highly emotional conversations. Expand your repertoire on conflict management styles. These skills take time to develop and will be what sets you apart as you take on leadership roles at the workplace.
Finally, have a sense of humour and perspective. Don’t take life too seriously. Take the time to breathe and sample what life has to offer – abundance instead of zero-sum thinking.
While her domain expertise lies in Leadership and Organisation Development, Eliza Quek describes herself as a passionate life-long Baby Boomer learner who is always curious and willing to explore new concepts and tools. As Co-Founder of Terrific Mentors International Pte Ltd, Eliza looks to support individuals, teams and organisations in successfully navigating our VUCAH world through customised Learning and Organisation Development interventions, mentoring and coaching. At SMU Academy, Eliza Quek is an affiliate faculty member who teaches the Facilitating Innovation and Leading Change module in the Executive Certificate in Leadership and People Management programme.
10. Dr Tan Hwee Hoon, Associate Professor, SMU
My first advice to all the women at the workplace is to work hard. Nothing replaces that, but more importantly, be so good at what you do that others cannot ignore you! Second, leverage your strengths, do not be afraid to be the voice you want to be. While clearly there are still barriers to women’s progression in the workplace, be your true self. Seek the life you want to live and don’t let others dictate what it means to be a woman in the male-dominated workplace.
Dr Tan Hwee Hoon is an associate professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at SMU. She sees being a professor, with the ability to focus on specific areas of knowledge generation and to educate, as her calling. She joined SMU in 2004 and has never looked back. Today, she also teaches in several SMU Academy programmes including Personal Leadership and Business Success Series: Personal Effectiveness, Strategic HR and Healthcare Leadership for a Digital Era.
