PM Wong plans to field more women candidates in next GE

He hopes to raise representation of women in Parliament as diversity is 'very useful'

- Gabrielle Chan

There are plans to have more women candidates in the upcoming general election, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, noting his hope to increase the representation of women in Parliament.

"To me, having that diversity in the team is very useful," said PM Wong, urging the public to support the women political candidates when they are fielded.

"Throughout my working life, I have benefited from working with men and women who bring a wider range of perspectives and help contribute to better solutions and better decision-making," he said at the People's Action Party (PAP) Women's Wing conference on Aug 31.

PAP women MPs now hold close to one-third of the seats in Parliament. In contrast, all PAP MPS were men in the 1970s and early 1980s.

There is still work to be done to build an inclusive society, said PM Wong, noting that advancing the cause for gender equality in Singapore is not a zero-sum issue.

"Equality for women does not mean that men get less," he said. "Gains that women make in society do not mean that men will inevitably lose out."

He said that in some countries, there has been more divergence in views between men and women.