Republic forges its own path to women's development: Sim Ann

'Quiet advocacy' approach is more appropriate for local context, she says

- Tham Yuen-C

Singapore approaches women's development through "quiet advocacy", with policies that resonate with both men and women, said Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann on March 5.

This is unlike "textbook feminism", which is more adversarial and creates divisions between the sexes, she said.

Added Ms Sim, who chairs the People's Action Party's Women's Wing: "We go for buy-in, not run-ins."

This approach is more appropriate for the local context, where women do not wake up daily to contemplate the "one thing I must do today to dismantle the patriarchy", she said.

She was speaking in an interview with the media ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.

Ms Sim said many of Singapore's policies have had a positive impact on women's well-being, even if they are not specifically designed as feminist policies.

These include policies in areas such as safety and security, education, employment and housing, she added. For instance, with safe streets, women can go out unaccompanied, and by allowing eligible young couples to apply for Housing Board flats, women learn to run their own households from a young age, she said.

She cited the United Nations Gender Inequality Index, published in March 2024, which ranked Singapore eighth globally out of 166 countries, and first in the Asia-Pacific, for having a low level of gender inequality.

"And I think if we were to look at the progress of women, whether it is in terms of our achievements in education, our participation in the workplace and in employment, and in terms of leadership, the progress indicators have been phenomenal," she said.