What Gender Equality Means To The Singapore Women's Weekly Team

The quest for gender equality never ceases in Singapore. While dads are getting more paternity leave and women have the same opportunities for education and upward mobility, there lies traditional stereotypes to overcome.

After all, mothers have always been assumed to be the main caregiver in the family, and the men are better off assuming leadership positions at work. But with organisational set-ups and societal values continuing to shift, we hold the hope that this little red dot will be a place where your gender will never be a hindrance to your goal - be it taking a high-powered seat in the boardroom or staying home with your children.

To mark International Women's Day, The Singapore Women's Weekly team shares their idea of gender equality - some will likely strike a chord with you!

Mummy can head out while daddy holds the fort

"Gender equality is teaching my kids to clean up after themselves and be responsible for their own mess, while accepting their preferences without overthinking: my daughter's into pink and frills, my son's into blue and wheels. Also, not expecting my uninterested husband to join me at the Taylor Swift concert or pick me up after that. Clearly, he'd much rather stay home and put the kids to bed!"

Estelle Low, 36, editor-in-chief

Our body, our rules

"For one, it's the basic right of a woman or girl (or anyone!) with the decision-making capacity to make autonomous decisions about their own body and reproductive functions (it's nobody's business, really). It's also about giving the same-sized cake to everyone at the party — having equal access to education, employment, and decision-making positions. And can we talk about why women are still expected to take their husband's surnames...? I like my own, TYVM."

Michelle Lee, 32, associate editor

Men are more competent in caregiving than we think

"Gender equality is when my husband stays home alone with baby while I go out, and it's fine. There's this ingrained idea that women are the default caregivers for a baby, so my grandma and mum keep asking if my husband needs them to come over and help, when actually he's perfectly capable of looking after our son on his own."

Melody Bay, 34, contributing associate editor

Wife's the boss

"Gender equality is when my wife prefers A while I want B - and so we go with A; because for far too long, women have struggled under an inorganic patriarchy, such that only acute affirmative action can turn the dial in favour of women and restore this gross imbalance. (And also because, you know, wife.)"

Raymond Goh, 51, editorial director

Give mummy a break

"Gender equality is when the preschool calls daddy instead of mummy when the kid is sick or needs something. Once when a teacher looked past my husband to tell me that I needed to cut my son's nails, my curt response was, 'The father can do it too.' Dare I say, this teacher became a lot more 'woke' and probably nervous when interacting with me."

Ng Mei Yan, 41, SWW contributor

Don't be too quick to assume

"Gender equality is no longer having waiters look puzzled when I say the beer is for me, and the baby chair and kids set next to dad."

Jill Lim, 34, radio presenter and SWW contributor

Women can step up in some areas too

"This might be a hot take, especially coming from a guy who has benefited from the patriarchy. But gender equality means that a woman should complete menial tasks herself as much as a man shouldn't be depended on to do such work. Within reason of course, but I mean like carrying their own shopping bags or fixing a lightbulb and issues like that."

Ho Guo Xiong, 31, SWW contributor

Having equal access to opportunities

"To me, gender equality runs across and within genders. It means that regardless of whether you're male or female, we each have the same rights and opportunities in all aspects of life. We get the same chance to contribute our unique talents to making this world a better place."

Dawn Cher, 34, financial blogger and SWW contributor

Embracing our differences while having the same rights

“I think ‘gender equality’ is often interpreted to mean that men and women are the same - but we aren’t. There are so many things that make us different and we should embrace that. Gender equality means we should be treated the same way and given the same rights. Women who came before us fought so hard so we could be afforded some of these rights, let’s not forget them while we continue to call for more equal treatment.”

Balvinder Sandhu, 50, SWW contributor

Tasks are not gender-specific

"I believe gender equality exists in my home because I have a husband who cooks better than me, helps to change diapers and folds the laundry. On the other hand, I can do things like changing lightbulbs, assembling cabinets and fixing broken toys. Instead of drawing lines on what men and women should or should not do, we draw strength from each other and work as a team."

Summer Goh, 40, parenting blogger and SWW contributor