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Year: 2020

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Look to other countries’ efforts to narrow the gender pay gap

This letter was originally published in The Straits Times on 13 January 2020.

The Ministry of Manpower’s gender pay gap report reinforces several hard truths (Adjusted gender pay gap narrows over more than a decade, Jan 10).

Among them is the finding that the labour force participation rate widens substantially after women have children, which contributes to a gap in pay later in life.

The report points out that this “motherhood penalty” is in fact a global phenomenon.

So are there lessons we can learn from other countries on how to narrow the gender pay gap? Here are two suggestions.

First: Encourage the uptake of paternity and shared parental leave. The labour force participation gap, and subsequently the gender pay gap, can narrow if men and women share caregiving responsibilities more equally.

If more men took leave for childcare, women would not be seen as a financial liability at work, and their commitment to work will not be questioned as much.

Reports have found that men who take time off for childcare directly contribute to their female partners’ earnings later on in life.

According to a study in Sweden (where a family loses some of its designated paid parental leave unless the father takes it), a woman’s earnings rose by 7 per cent for every month of leave taken by her husband.

Second: Recruit returners. A PricewaterhouseCooper study in the UK found that three out of five women returning to the workforce are likely to move into lower-skilled or lower-paid roles, experiencing an immediate earnings reduction of up to a third.

This is likely because of a combination of factors, including a lack of flexible work arrangements for higher-skilled jobs, and a stigma associated with gaps in women’s curriculum vitae.

One measure taken by the UK was setting up a Returners Fund with a budget of £1.5 million (S$2.7 million) to help organisations that support women returning to work.

We too could introduce a dedicated “returnship” programme that provides clear employment pathways for women who wish to return to the labour force.

We could also make stronger attempts to address recruitment biases, and provide quality flexible work arrangements at all levels of management.

These international strategies could be key to Singapore harnessing the economic potential of women and narrowing the gender pay gap.

Shailey Hingorani

Head of Research and Advocacy

Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)

Members of the public join AWARE to call for wide-reaching policy changes in 2020 Budget submission

This post was originally published as a press release on 13 January 2020.

13 January 2020 – For its 10th annual submission to the national Budget, AWARE engaged with a rich community of individuals in Singapore, pooling their ideas for a set of recommendations centred on better support for family caregivers. 

This grassroots “policy wishlist” was generated by 50 members of the public, who came together in October 2019 at the launch of AWARE’s research report on eldercare, “Make Care Count”. These 50 people came from all walks of life in Singapore, among them caregivers, students, parents, academics, retirees, social service workers and business owners. They were united by a desire for caregiving to be front and centre on the national agenda, so that more is done for family caregivers across the nation. 

A small-group discussion during “Make Care Count… in the National Budget”, an event organised by AWARE on 5 October 2019. Photograph by Kaspen Paraskakis Narayan

At the event, participants formed small groups, sharing their own experiences with caregiving for the elderly, and brainstorming suggestions for the government in this arena. AWARE then submitted a final set of recommendations via the government’s REACH platform on 10 January 2020.

Some of the policy ideas put forth in the submission include:

  • Introducing a universal basic income, or at least a support grant for caregivers that includes cash and CPF components, to recognise care as labour
  • Making healthcare benefits universal instead of designating cohort-specific packages, to assure today’s caregivers of support when they need care tomorrow
  • Introducing mandatory paid eldercare leave, shortening work hours and legislating the right for employees to request flexible work arrangements
  • Improving and regulating formal care services, such as assisted-living facilities, daycare services and home-based care services, to increase their usage

These recommendations correspond heavily with those in AWARE’s “Make Care Count” report from September 2019. That report—based on in-depth interviews with 22 female caregivers and validation interviews with 22 eldercare service providers, academics and medical social workers—found that family caregiving responsibilities disproportionately fall upon women in Singapore, and directly compromise women’s retirement adequacy. Most women surveyed saw their income decrease, their employment situation change and their out-of-pocket care expenses spike after they became caregivers to their elderly relatives.

Ms Shailey Hingorani, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy, said, “Hearing from the public at our event last October was invigorating and inspiring. We discovered that our research findings did indeed resonate with many attendees, who expressed similar struggles to those of our respondents. We also garnered additional insights—for example, from Singaporeans looking after non-citizen care recipients—which we have incorporated into our recommendations. 

“It’s a privilege to represent this passionate, vocal group in our Budget submission. As we move forward, we hope to engage with a ever-larger pool of stakeholders, and remain at the forefront of eldercare issues in Singapore.”  

Dr Joanne Yoong, an economist who spoke at the October event, said, “The strength of these recommendations lies in AWARE’s commitment to combining careful research with a participatory process that strives to engage all stakeholders in this critical national conversation. The outcome will eventually impact every one of our families, in some way, at some time in our lives.”

Ms Patricia Lee, an event participant and caregiver, said that she was grateful for the chance to contribute her perspective on this “key concern” in a public consultation. “Many of us have rarely had the opportunities to connect to the right channels, speak our minds and express our dire needs,” she added. 

Read AWARE’s full submission to the 2020 national Budget here.

Recommendations by AWARE for the National Budget in recent years can be found here: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.

Commentary: Male victims of rape deserve support and understanding, not ridicule and disbelief

This commentary was originally published on Channel NewsAsia on 9 January 2020.

by Shailey Hingorani, Head of Research and Advocacy

SINGAPORE: Myths and stereotypes about manhood, masculinity and male sexuality abound in online comments to the news of an Indonesian man Reynhard Sinaga convicted in Britain for assaulting over 100 men over a couple of years.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, he’s been called the most prolific rapist in British legal history.

Some online comments have expressed horror at the details of the case, but many comments (whether joking or not) seem to celebrate the perpetrator, calling him “impressive”, and describing his “achievements” in tones of pride.

Disturbing as these comments are, it is another set of comments that stand out for embodying even more reprehensible views – those that express disbelief that men can be raped, and ridicule the fact that many of this perpetrator’s victims only found out that they had been raped after the police reached out to them.

It is tempting to dismiss online comments as cruel, bigoted and besides the point, but reading them often reveals the level of civil discourse on important societal problems like sexual assault.Advertisement

BARRIERS MEN FACE IN REPORTING SEXUAL ASSAULT 

As a gender-equality organisation that works closely with survivors of sexual violence, AWARE knows both men and women can experience sexual assault. 

We have seen firsthand how myths about sexual violence can silence male victims just as much as female victims.

Although in both cases, these myths tend to be located in toxic masculinity (such as “real men get what they want” and “real men should be prepared to be violent to defend themselves”), and rigid gender roles, they create a slightly different set of barriers for men.

While women are frequently asked what they were wearing when they were assaulted, male victims of sexual assault get questioned about their masculinity and sexual orientation.

Female victims are considered to be “asking for it” when they drink or go out at night; men are considered to be “weak” for not using their physical strength to defend themselves.

In Singapore, changes to the Penal Code, which passed last year and became effective from Jan 1 made the offence of rape gender-neutral. This was done through the expansion of the legal definition of rape to include non-consensual penetration of the anus or the mouth using one’s penis.

However, for male victims, the challenges to disclosing their experiences of abuse and seeking appropriate help are still overwhelming. 

Here are two societal myths and stereotypes that this case has brought to the fore, which form serious barriers for male survivors coming forward. 

MYTH 1: MEN DO NOT EXPERIENCE SEXUAL ASSAULT

The first barrier is the pervasive belief that men cannot be raped and “real men” are able to defend themselves from assaulters. Rape and sexual assault has largely been (rightly) conceptualised as involving male perpetrators and female victims, which is borne out by crime statistics.

A large majority of sexual assault victims are indeed female, and perpetrators male. But this does not mean that men cannot be raped. 

Sam* (name changed) came to AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) many years after he was molested by his older brother multiple times over a period of two years. 

He wasn’t confident reaching out earlier because he felt “emasculated” speaking about his assault, and it was only after his wife coaxed him to seek help that he contacted SACC.

Sam blamed himself for his experience because of his inability to protect himself, as a “man should be able to”. In sessions with SACC, he shared the ridicule he faced from friends when he told them he was contemplating receiving counselling.

Sam’s case illustrates how societal stereotypes about how men behave – such as “real men solve problems on their own” and “real men don’t talk about feelings” – stigmatise help-seeking and reporting.

Many erroneously believe too that men enjoy all manner of sexual interactions, whether consensual or not. Another client, John*, had trouble making sense of comments from a female colleague at work, who asked him what he thought of her body.

When he told his friends about his discomfort, they suggested that regardless of his own feelings, “as a guy, he couldn’t lose out” in this situation.

By focusing on the sexual aspects at the expense of the abusive nature of an interaction, we do a huge disservice to sexual harassment survivors.

MYTH TWO: PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS DURING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE MEAN ONLY ONE THING

Many online comments have reacted with incredulity that many of Sinaga’s victims did not know they had been sexually assaulted, but a victim’s inability to recognise they had been raped does not make it less of a crime.

Similarly, people often attribute meaning to physical reactions to rape. For instance, erections and ejaculations can signify pleasure in consensual sex. However, in situations of sexual assault, they can occur as a purely physiological response to stimulation. They can also be caused by intense fear or pain. 

However, many people believe maintaining an erection or having an ejaculation during assault is a clear sign a man has consented to the sexual interaction and even derived pleasure from the exchange.

Hence, their own physiological reactions during sexual assault may make it more difficult for male survivors to come to terms with the fact they were sexually assaulted.

A study in the UK finds that some sexual violence perpetrators are, in fact, aware of how erection and ejaculation may confuse a victim of sexual assault – and that this may motivate them to manipulate their victims into ejaculation to enhance their own sense of control and discourage reporting.

TAKING MALE VICTIMS OF ASSAULT SERIOUSLY

Widely held beliefs about men and the personality traits they embody inhibit many male victims of sexual assault from coming forward. What can we do to combat these damaging beliefs – some of which have been held for generations?

We need a fundamental rethink about how men and boys are raised.\

We need to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools to teach boys they do not have to conform to aggressive stereotypes of masculinity, and to explain healthy and unhealthy sexual and romantic relationships.

We need more extensive public education on the barriers that prevent reporting and help-seeking behaviour, and more support for recovery and mental health services to help male victims of sexual assault.

Above all, we must remember that male victims of sexual assault deserve our support too.

* Pseudonyms used to protect the identity of victims.

Shailey Hingorani is Head of Research and Advocacy at AWARE.

Survivors of sexual violence, regardless of gender, can contact AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre.

 

A Recap: S.H.E. Project Celebration 2019

Written by Aria Lee. 

Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama once said that parenthood is about “leaving something better for our kids”. That hopeful spirit was alive and well at a celebration, held on 19 December 2019, for residents of AWARE’s Support, Housing and Enablement (S.H.E.) Project.

The S.H.E. Project provides stable and decent housing, and a transformational support programme, to low-income, single-mother families. These families, who are referred to AWARE by Family Service Centres (FSCs) or community partners, do not have the option of returning to their family homes, whether due to domestic issues, conflicts with parents, overcrowding or other issues. They also face difficulties finding shelters willing to take in their children alongside them, or applying to rent HDB apartments while under the age of 21.

This celebratory event was organised in collaboration with Visa to recognise these families’ big and small achievements, let them unwind from the pressures they face on a day-to-day basis, and connect and interact with one another on a deeper level.

As Liz, S.H.E. Project programme manager, announced, “We just wanted to take time out to honour all of you.”

Event volunteers gather before the S.H.E. celebration begins

The 25 or so attendees enjoyed a beautiful spread of tea and cakes, an array of children’s books for the young attendees, and a foot massage booth from the Mobile Massage Team (an initiative by the Singapore Association of the Visually Impaired). Volunteers from both Visa and AWARE were present to provide assistance.

The delicious array of cakes and pastries enjoyed by guests

Event facilitator Pei Yi, an associate legal counsel at Visa, started off by getting everyone to introduce themselves and their different backgrounds, nationalities, interests and areas of work.

Subsequently, the women of the S.H.E. Project spoke up about their struggles and successes in affairs such as appealing housing decisions, gaining lawyers, managing schedules, sending their children to school, settling debts, as well as the numerous ways their children have been supportive throughout these trials.

The S.H.E. women have also been an inspiration to other low-income women. Since joining S.H.E., they’ve reached out to other families, spoken at events and in various media, and written personal accounts for others to read and learn from. Altogether, these efforts have contributed to slow but steady progress in matters such as housing access for unwed single mothers.

Interactions at this event between the women of S.H.E. and the volunteers led to a more nuanced understanding of the challenges of raising a family as a single mother. Sometimes—the residents said—single mothers feel guilty for not meeting society’s unreasonable expectations of a mother, and often feel that they have failed as parents. It was all the more heartening to see everyone validate and affirm each other’s experiences that afternoon.

After the discussion, attendees were taken on a short tour of the Visa office space. Following that, the families and volunteers socialised and partook in activities while eating delicious pastries. Volunteers read aloud to the children from the books they had picked out, while the mothers conversed, received foot massages, and applied colourful temporary tattoos with the kids.

Books and other items made available to event participants

“It was interesting to get to know the other mothers,” said one of the S.H.E. residents afterwards. She added, “The massage was nice because I was so tired and sore from working!”

Single motherhood can be an incredibly trying challenge to navigate, especially in a country that upholds an unrealistically narrow definition of a family unit. We should continue to come together and push for a better future—not only for the mothers needing support and housing, but also for their children, the generation who will one day inherit this very society.