This post was originally published as a press release on 8 January 2021.

As Singapore navigates the consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic, national recovery efforts should be as inclusive as possible to prevent gender inequalities from widening, says gender-equality group AWARE. 

This principle informs the organisation’s 11th annual set of recommendations for the National Budget, which it submitted today to the Government. The recommendations detail how policy-makers in Singapore can address the multifaceted challenges that women and other vulnerable groups are facing as a result of COVID-19. 

“While COVID-19 has changed all of our lives in some form or another, the pandemic’s impact throughout society has not been equal,” said Ms Shailey Hingorani, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy. “Women have disproportionately become more vulnerable to financial insecurity, caregiver burden and other major stressors—the implications of which extend far beyond the immediate threats of the pandemic. We urge policy-makers, therefore, to take an explicitly gendered approach to devising this year’s Budget, recognising that some need more attention and assistance than others.” 

AWARE’s recommendations were based in part on circuit-breaker surveys that the organisation conducted between April and May 2020. These surveys revealed various vulnerabilities brought about by COVID-19: the vulnerability of family caregivers to financial insecurity; the high likelihood of retrenchment for low-income workers due to the nature of their work; the lack of support and protection for self-employed workers; and migrant spouses’ limited access to employment and social support. 

Consequently, some of AWARE’s key recommendations are the introduction of a universal basic income or a Caregiver Support Grant to financially support caregivers, as well as mandatory paid eldercare leave to help working caregivers. The group also recommended the extension of social assistance schemes and benefits to all migrant spouses while allowing them to also be self-employed. This is the first time that AWARE has included a section on migrant spouses, who have been historically overlooked in conversations around the National Budget. 

“Many of these recommendations echo those made in previous years by AWARE and other civil society organisations working with vulnerable populations in Singapore,” noted Ms Hingorani. “While they carried urgency back then—Singapore’s population has been ageing for some time now—these ideas have only come to resonate more in 2021, as we look to turn a page on the disaster of COVID-19. 

“As we prepare to future-proof Singapore citizens against economic disruptions, we must seriously consider providing an income floor for all. There is always a temptation to focus on the short-term during crises, but we must train our eyes on the future, and guarantee that our recovery puts human life and dignity at the centre.” 

Read AWARE’s full submission to the 2021 national Budget here.

Previous recommendations by AWARE for the National Budget can be found here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.