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Elderly suicides: An absence of hope and heart

As Singapore becomes increasingly affluent, we should not forget the individuals with a different kind of “high net worth” – our senior citizens, who have worked and built this country. Do they have a home with hope and heart in what is supposed to be their golden years?

By Vivienne Wee, Nadzirah Samsudin & Priyanka Bhandari

10 September marked the 10th annual World Suicide Prevention Day. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one million lives are lost to suicide every year worldwide; this is more than lives lost to homicide and war. About 5 per cent of people attempt suicide once in their lives, although the global mortality rate is only a fraction of that at 0.016 per cent (or 16 per 100,000).

However, a suicide attempt rate of 5 per cent is still too high, as it signals widespread depression and hopelessness. Suicide attempts are often a cry for help and it is tragic that people have to resort to this to obtain help.

World Suicide Prevention Day is an initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), in collaboration with WHO. The theme they have chosen this year is “Suicide Prevention Across The Globe: Strengthening Protective Factors And Instilling Hope.”

This comes close to our very own message of “Hope, Heart and Home” in this year’s National Day Rally Speech.

As Singapore becomes increasingly affluent, we should not forget the individuals with a different kind of ‘high net worth’ – our senior citizens, who have worked and built this country. Do they have a home with hope and heart in what is supposed to be their golden years?

A worrying trend in Singapore is the higher prevalence of suicide mortality among the elderly, as compared to the rest of the population. The suicide mortality rate among those aged 50 years and above is about 6.45 times higher than that seen in the rest of the population.

The unacceptably high suicide rates among the elderly may worsen when citizens aged 80 and above number some 180,000 by 2030, more than double the current 73,000.

There are many risk factors associated with suicide, such as a history of self-harm, previous suicide attempts, psychological conditions, and stressful life experiences. Such factors are aggravated for the elderly in Singapore, who are rendered even more vulnerable by the lack of socio-economic support and social inclusion.

While policy emphasis on the family as the first line of support may work for those with families with adequate capacities, what happens to the elderly without such families?

It has been estimated that by 2030, only 45 per cent of persons over the age of 65 in Singapore will be living with families, compared to 70 per cent in 2005. Thus, it is unrealistic to expect older persons to rely on families as their main source of care and support. It would also be socially irresponsible to neglect older members of our society who cannot rely on familial care.

Depression is not confined to the elderly who live alone. Those who live with family or friends may be affected by the death of a spouse, by social and economic changes, or by sheer loneliness. Family members and physicians often fail to detect symptoms of depression or suicidal intent.

The Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) has seen a steady rise in the number of older persons who attempt suicide. Generally, more females than males attempt suicide (except those aged 50 and above). Significantly, suicide mortality by older women (aged 65-69 and 70-74) in 2011 has doubled, as compared to 2010.

These trends in elderly suicides call for urgent redress. Immediate measures can include educating physicians, care-givers and family members to spot signs of depression or suicidal intent among the elderly. Longer term steps, some of which have been mentioned in Parliament, include:

  • Provision of adequate economic support to the elderly
  • More efforts to diagnose and treat depression among the poor, the elderly and other
    vulnerable groups
  • Bridge systemic gaps in the mental health system
  • Invest in comprehensive care services for the elderly
  • Expand outreach efforts to create community spaces and activities for the elderly

Most crucially, the elderly must have adequate financial resources of their own. Research shows that 75 per cent of elderly people currently depend on their children for their expenses, while receiving only 12 per cent from CPF. Anecdotally, some suicides were committed by elderly parents who did not want to be a burden on their children when they became sick.

A truly inclusive Singapore must include older citizens, because ageing is an inevitable part of life. Elderly suicide rates are a telling indicator of how well Singapore fares as a home with hope and heart. It should be included as one of the indicators to measure our success in achieving this vision.

Vivienne Wee is an anthropologist and Research & Advocacy Director at AWARE. Nadzirah Samsudin is the Research and Advocacy Executive at AWARE. Priyanka Bhandari is a volunteer at AWARE. This commentary was first published on publichouse.sg.

Beyond 377A

Sexual orientation and gender identity remain one of the most taboo subjects in Singapore. Recent developments both at home and in the region, however, are slowly but surely making gay rights an increasingly visible issue, and a crucial litmus test for a society’s respect for human rights.

In August this year, a Buddhist same-sex wedding ceremony was performed in Taiwan for the first time, garnering much international attention. A bill to legalize same-sex marriage is currently pending in the government of Taiwan.

Vietnam is also considering legalizing gay marriage, and hosted its first gay pride parade this year, as did Myanmar and Laos. In August, gays, lesbians, transgender people and their supporters in Nepal marched to demand recognition as a third gender in citizen certificates, to allow same-sex marriage and to criminalize discrimination based on sexual preference.

In Singapore, change is also afoot. In a Channel News Asia programme about sex education for students that aired on July 11, Liew Wei Li, Director of Student Development Curriculum for the Ministry of Education, said: “We do teach that they should respect everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, because we want relationships, then, to form, good sound relationships, based on friendships, based on love, based on respect.”

This would seem to be a significant shift from MOE’s previous position on its sex education programme, which, as described in a 2009 statement, “does not promote homosexuality” and “reflects the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the majority of Singaporeans hold conservative views on sexuality”.

Singapore’s Court of Appeal also recently reversed a High Court decision about a constitutional challenge against Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men. In its judgment, released on Aug 20, the Court of Appeal stated that the existence of Section 377A carried a credible threat of prosecution, and “affects the lives of a not insignificant portion of our community in a very real and intimate way”.

Writing for the Sayoni website, lawyer Indulekshmi Rajeswari described this judgment as “nothing less than earth-shattering for the LGBT community. For the first time, the Courts have acknowledged the existence of the gay person, and the gay community, and their interests”. Indeed, Section 377A has long been a catalyst for galvanizing the LGBT community here, having inspired repeal campaigns in 2007.

Beyond this piece of legislation, however, there remain numerous areas of discrimination that affect the LGBT community in Singapore. At the AWARE Roundtable Discussion held on Aug 16, speakers Jean Chong and Kelly Then touched on some of these issues. Jean and Kelly are members of Sayoni, a community that works to empower queer women, and People Like Us, the pioneer gay and lesbian advocacy group in Singapore.

“A lot of social institutions are built around the idea that one is attracted to someone else, and wants to be with that person,” said Kelly. When same-sex relationships are not recognized under the law, this means that the people in these relationships are barred from basic rights and social support networks that those in heterosexual relationships may take for granted.

As same-sex marriages are not recognized in Singapore, women in such relationships are not allowed to undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or any other form of assisted reproduction. (This prohibition applies to single women in Singapore as well.) Jean noted that this led to the emergence of ‘lesbian flights’ to Bangkok for IVF.

A member of the audience at the Roundtable also mentioned that children of couples in heterosexual relationships are granted more than 200 types of legal protection that are not available to children of couples in same-sex relationships. This includes rights of access in parenting.

Individuals who are in same-sex relationships cannot be recognised as related by marriage. For example, if a person’s parents reject their same-sex relationship, they can legally prevent their partner from visiting them in the hospital.

Those in LGBT relationships may not enjoy spousal benefits, as most companies do not recognize such relationships (although a number of MNCs do). They also cannot access state-sponsored social support schemes like Medisave and get less in housing grants, and are not entitled to jointly purchase property using their CPF.

Pressure from prevailing social attitudes are not countered by any significant State support. While there is no data for Singapore, the worldwide rates of depression, substance abuse and suicide are higher for LGBT youths; they are often teased and bullied in school because of their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. There is no information on safe sex for gay teens in the current sex education syllabus, and no state-sponsored institutions that have expertise in providing counselling for those grappling with LGBT issues.

Jean also mentioned that a study that has shown that many gay people go back into the closet when they grow old, because old folks’ homes are not open to the idea of same-sex relationships.

In the absence of decriminalization and State recognition, it is therefore crucial to include LGBT perspectives in areas such as research, advocacy, and social services, said Kelly. These include the Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), sex education, maternal and paternal leave, violence in relationships, singles, de facto relationships (where couples may cohabit for extended periods but not marry), ageing, poverty, and sexual harassment – all issues that impact the LGBT community.

For example, in the case of de facto relationships, which are becoming increasingly common for both straight and gay persons, Kelly mentioned that the law will have to deal with issues that arise.

One of the areas where progress is not being made is in the media. Positive portrayals of homosexuals or homosexual relationships are still subject to censorship in the local media, and outlets are penalized if they are seen to be ‘promoting’ homosexuality.

However, censorship is no longer as great a hurdle as it was in the past due to the arrival of new media. For example, TV shows or movies that are censored either in whole or in part by governmental bodies can now be easily downloaded or streamed online through the Internet. With greater access to information and perspectives, younger generations are more open and less discriminatory toward LGBT persons.

Words from Winifred

Dear friends and supporters of AWARE,
What drew me to AWARE in 2001 continued to inspire me in my first 100 days.

  • Smart women who are able and willing to work together to create a future Singapore with true gender equality by removing gender-based barriers.
  • Women with busy lives at work and at home who willingly volunteer their time and talents because they believe more can be done to improve the lives of ALL women.
  • Women with common sense who work in teams to produce concrete, achievable ends in the short term, whilecontinuously striving toachieve aspirational goals in the long term.

An AWARE woman – be it a member, staff or Board – is a feminist role model living out her purpose in everyday situations in Singapore. I am humbled and privileged to lead women who want to make a difference today for a more gender-equal society tomorrow.

With the breadth, depth and complexity of gender issues that AWARE is concerned with, it would have been very easy to step on the accelerator. Too much activity can lead to volunteer burnout and lack of focus. We needed to find the right balance between people, projects, processes, and partners to create the maximum impact.

One of the first things we did as a Board was to build a strong sense of teamwork and agree to a standard of Board Excellence that we believe in. This includes a clear understanding of our roles and responsibilities, and established team norms for accountability, meeting management, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.

Secondly, we clarified what our Strategic Priorities are, and developed a framework where everything we do at AWARE is mapped to a Strategic Priority. We want to see the forest AND the trees!

These Strategic Priorities are:

  • Advocating to the State
  • Catalyzing diverse members of society as engaged stakeholders
  • Proposing solutions for an inclusive economy

We will continue our consultation process on AWARE’s Strategic Plan and on the changes that we need to make to our processes in order to implement the Strategic Plan.

Thirdly, we’ve enhanced our outreach activities as a means to stay connected with the community and to influence key decision-makers, and members of the public.

So far this year, we’ve organized eight Roundtable Discussions and Getting To Know Aware sessions, seven talks and 50 training sessions. The only Sexual Assault Befrienders Service in Singapore is up and running, and our Helpline continues to support women in need.

Through the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the professional staff headed by Executive Director Corinna Lim, and Research & Advocacy Director Dr Vivienne Wee, we’ve submitted six papers for public consultations.

We’ve also participated in numerous meetings and dialogue sessions with MCYS, MOH, the Institute of Policy Studies, and individual MPs, just to name a few. Our opinions are constantly being sought in the media and we’ve contributed eight Op-Eds since Jan 2012.

I have been very fortunate to learn from Past Presidents – like Connie Singam, Lena Lim, Zaibun Siraj, Dana Lam, Braema Mathi – on what it takes to be effective in this role. My special thanks to Nicole Tan and Halijah Mohamad, President and Vice-President respectively in the 2010 – 2012 Board, for their guidance.

We’re very excited to begin a new chapter in AWARE’s history. We look forward to hearing what you think and how you can play an active role in Singapore’s leading women’s advocacy group.


Sincerely,
Winifred

Dreaming of a truly inclusive Singapore

The national conversation should not be dominated by fertility rate. Focus instead on the kind of Singapore we want.

By Corinna Lim & Vivienne Wee

In his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong envisioned Singapore as ‘a home with hope and heart’.

As members of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), we are encouraged that the rally focused on social priorities and values of mutual respect and inclusiveness. We agree that all Singaporeans should participate in the national conversation to create an inclusive Singapore, with that national conversation encompassing issues of concern to different citizens – rich and poor, young and old, male and female, majority and minority, and so on.

We are glad that Singapore is moving towards greater equality between mothers and fathers by introducing paternity leave. Paternity leave would recognize men’s role as co-parents with the right to be part of family life beyond just being breadwinners. However, we must ensure proper implementation, not mere tokenism. Paternity or shared parental leave must genuinely encourage men to participate in the care of their children. An idea worth looking into is to deduct from a man’s reservist duties the days of parenting leave he takes.

While this proposed move has provoked some negative comments from those who have benefitted from gender disparity, we welcome the positive responses also expressed. We agree with the Chair of the Centre for Fathering and National Family Council that reservist training is a good precedent to follow, as employers now take this into account in their planning. Employers who do not support the parenting leave of male and female employees actively contribute to the anti-family ethos of the Singaporean workplace.

We are also glad that the Government is looking into whether singles will be eligible to buy flats directly from HDB. We strongly recommend this policy change so that singles are given parity of treatment, and are no longer discriminated against on the basis of marital status. Affordable housing for all Singaporeans is necessary. The inclusive national conversation must also include single parents who cannot afford preschool education for their children who are citizens of the future.

Although the National Day Rally did not focus on Singapore’s rising inequality between rich and poor, this is nevertheless the context for the falling Total Fertility Rate (TFR) issue. According to the UN, Singapore’s Gini coefficient of 0.473 in 2011 is second highest among 38 countries with very high human development. Thirty percent of Singapore’s working households struggle to make ends meet, with hardly any discretionary savings. It would be unconscionable to ask such households to increase their fertility rate.

In Parliament in October 2011, the PM admitted that “income inequality is starker than before” and that “at the lower end, incomes have risen too slowly, far too slowly”.

Middle-class families in Singapore are also stressed by the high cost of healthcare and caregiving. Singaporeans are paying 55% – 64% of healthcare expenditure as out of pocket costs, compared to only 30% in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. It is unsurprising that they should make a rational choice by not burdening themselves with more dependents than they have already. Research shows that retirees currently depend on their children for most of their living expenses – as much as 75%, while receiving only 12% from CPF.

Can policies to increase the TFR address these everyday problems? Singaporeans trying to meet their immediate needs are unlikely to want more children to solve projected problems of future society.

The emphasis on TFR seems misplaced. A demographic study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in 2011 showed that even if TFR were to increase to 1.85, a highly ambitious target, from the current 1.24, this by itself would not significantly reduce the dependency ratio or increase the support ratio significantly. In other words, this is not the solution to a shrinking or ageing workforce.

AWARE suggests the national conversation should not be dominated by TFR. Focus instead on questions about the kind of Singapore we want. For example, how many people can live sustainably on our small island with a desirable quality of life?  Comparison with other developed countries suggests we should aim for sustainable labour growth with high productivity growth, rather than just focusing on increasing population and TFR.  Economists have argued that if we keep population increases to the minimum to compensate for a shrinking population, we can nevertheless enjoy a growth rate of 3 – 4%.

We dream of a Singapore where all are able to maximize their potential; where people don’t have to work 18 hours or more a day to the point of total exhaustion just to cope with family needs, where productivity increases because people are doing what they care about, where people are treated fairly as equal citizens regardless of race, language, religion or marital status, where they can enjoy a quality of life that makes life itself meaningful to them. Only then would we have a home where children are welcome, not just to be workers providing for the old, but as citizens who will inherit that home.

Corinna Lim is the Executive Director of AWARE and Dr Vivienne Wee is an anthropologist and Research & Advocacy Director at AWARE.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 4, 2012.

Make income tax relief and MediShield more inclusive

In response to calls for public consultation on proposed changes to the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill and MediShield, AWARE submitted the following recommendations

Give caregivers income tax relief

The Ministry of Finance recently sought public feedback on 30 proposed legislative amendments under the draft Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2012.

One of the key changes in this Bill is Enhancements to the Earned Income Relief (EIR). As an incentive for the elderly and handicapped persons to stay employed, they will be eligible for up to $8,000 and $12,000 of EIR respectively.

EIR refers to the sum that is deducted from an individual’s taxable income, thus resulting in lower tax payments.

AWARE suggests that the Enhancements to the Earned Income Relief be expanded to include caregivers who return to the workforce after leaving to care for dependents.

WHY?

1. Leveling the playing field for female caregivers

Caregiving in Singapore is significantly gendered. A recent study found that caregiving at home is carried out mainly by female family members (excluding domestic help): 43% by daughters, compared to 17% by sons; and 12% by wives, compared to 3% by husbands.

Dropping out of paid employment affects women adversely. Although year-on-year growth of women’s average net CPF balance has been increasing, the CPF balance of females has been consistently lower than that of males over the last 15 years.

The significant difference in CPF between men and women, greater in the age groups of 46 – 50 and 51 – 54, is probably due to women dropping out of the workforce. 2011 labour statistics show that women make up nearly two-thirds of economically inactive residents in Singapore.

Women are also earning less than men, and at retirement have less than half of the CPF that men have. This means women also have less Medisave, which may be insufficient for their medical bills. Singapore women are living longer than men. The combination of insufficient Medisave and increasing health needs of the elderly impacts drastically on older women.

Expanding the scope of the Enhancement to the Earned Income Relief to caregivers will thus help compensate women for the income and CPF they would have lost by leaving the workforce to care for their dependents.

2. An incentive for caregivers to return to the workforce

Extending EIR to caregivers will align with other policies that seek to attract caregivers, especially women, to return to the workforce after leaving it. This will tap our latent pool of local manpower.

To ensure affordability and sustainability, we suggest that caregivers returning to the workforce receive EIR for the same number of years that he or she has been out of the workforce.

For EIR to work effectively as an employment incentive for caregivers, we believe that the current allocation of EIR according to age group should be re-examined.

Under the current Enhancements, the elderly and handicapped are eligible for a larger sum of EIR if they are older. In the case of the elderly, for example, those below 55 can receive up to $1,000, while those aged 55-59 can receive up to $6,000, and those aged 60 and above can receive up to $8,000.

AWARE suggests that in the case of caregivers returning to the workforce, the same amount of EIR should be given uniformly to the three different age groups of below 55, 55 – 59, and 60 and above.

Most women who drop out of the workforce to care for dependents are in the below 55 group. To encourage these women to return to the workforce as soon as possible, substantial EIR should be given to them at an earlier age.

Extend MediShield coverage by risk-pooling across the population

The Ministry of Health also recently sought public feedback on proposed changes to the MediShield scheme. These include considering an extension of MediShield to cover congenital and neonatal conditions.

AWARE applauds this proposed extension. Singapore’s healthcare system is internationally acclaimed, but the current exclusion of neonatal and congenital defects is in stark contrast to other Commonwealth countries. In the UK, Canada and Australia, health care of children with neonatal and congenital defects is covered by the National Health Service and Medicare respectively after registration of the baby.

 

Increasing access to treatment for crucial birth defects would further improve Singapore’s already very low infant mortality rate, indeed the lowest in the world. It would also improve the quality of life for children in need.

Neonatal and congenital defects occur through chance, happening to only two out of the 110 babies born daily. As calculated by the CPF Board, the extension of coverage to children with neonatal and congenital defects would mean an increase in premium for those aged 1-20 years of not more than $12 a year or less than $1 a month.

But there may be poor families who cannot afford even this slightly increased premium and who may thus opt out from the scheme. AWARE suggests that the increase in premium for the extended coverage be further decreased through sharing by the general population, instead of limiting it only to those 20 years old and below. The increase in premium will thus be negligible for everyone, but will bring Singapore a step closer to being a truly inclusive society, supported by a universal health care system.

Risk pooling across the whole population is a necessary evolution to include all citizens, with no exclusion of those born with neonatal and congenital illness or those who live over the age of 90. Risk pooling across the whole population would also make Medishield more affordable to ageing citizens, as their premiums will not become unaffordable as they age, even if they are covered by Medishield in principle.

As Singapore continues to build trust and harmony among citizens, as stated by PM Lee on National Day, it is only fitting that all citizens should share the responsibility of taking care of young and old. Worries over an increase in premium therefore do not constitute grounds for rejecting this extension of coverage. 

Without MediShield coverage, families who would otherwise be celebrating the birth of a baby find themselves saddled by an immense financial burden, which can reach six-digit figures on average. Many families cannot afford the hefty sums needed to save or ameliorate the life-chances of their children. Even private insurance schemes may not be available to them as many insurance companies reject coverage of those with pre-existing health defects.

Therefore, the extension of MediShield to help such families is necessary as Singapore evolves into an inclusive society that leaves no one behind.

Read our full submissions here and here.

Roundtable Discussion: Against autonomy – Films in favour of friendship & dependency

This event is part of the AWARE Roundtable — “Sexual autonomy, free of coercion!” series.

Why speak against autonomy? Why question freedom, empowerment, identity claims, calls for inclusion, or demands for recognition? And why especially challenge calls for embodied autonomy?

Taking a cue from a number of recent films critiquing “autonomy” and the desire for self-assertion, this talk suggests an alternative interruption of imposition, restraint, and repression.

Focusing on the relationship between autonomy and coercion (and how they constitute one another), this discussion opens a space to rethink friendship, dependency, and other forms of heteronomy.

Some of the films to be considered include: Finding Nemo, By Hook or By Crook, Boys Don’t Cry, Brokeback Mountain, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Charlotte’s Web, Solos, Female Games, Bugis Street, Drifting Flowers, and Happy Times.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Sept 26, 2012, Wednesday

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: AWARE Centre (AWARE Centre, Blk 5 Dover Crescent #01-22)

Click here to register for this event.

About the speaker:

Brian Bergen-Aurand is Assistant Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University, where he teaches Film, Ethics, and Embodiment. He also serves on the Film Studies coordinating committee and as a member of the Gender & Sexuality Studies steering committee. He has served as the Gender and Sexuality editor of Clamor Magazine and on the editorial board of the journal Gender on Our Minds. Since 1995, he has written and presented more than fifty essays, articles, reviews, and papers on embodiment and ethics and is currently working on two books: We Other Singaporeans and The Encyclopedia of Queer Cinema.

Dialogue & dinner with women’s rights expert Laurel Weldon

 

Professor Laurel Weldon is an expert on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

On Wednesday, 12 September she will join us for a dialogue on issues ranging from violence against women to the politics of intersectionality.

Details
Date: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Time: 7.00pm – 9.00pm (Dinner will be provided)
Venue: AWARE Centre (Block 5 Dover Crescent #01-22)

About the speaker

S. Laurel Weldon is Associate Professor of Political Science at Purdue University. She is the author of When Protest Makes Policy: How Social Movements Represent Disadvantaged Groups (University of Michigan Press 2010 forthcoming) and Protest, Policy and the Problem of Violence Against Women: A Cross-National Comparison (University of Pittsburgh 2002), as well as articles in the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Perspectives on Politics, Politics & Gender, and the International Journal of Feminist Politics.

She is also co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on Politics and Gender (with Georgina Waylen, Karen Celis, and Johanna Kantola – under contract with Oxford University Press). With Mala Htun of the New School, she is currently involved in a project on States and Sex Equality: Why do Governments Promote Women’s Rights?, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. She serves on the council of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and is currently the President of the Women and Politics Research Section of APSA.

This dialogue session will include discussion of the following issues:

  • A global analysis of women’s rights (including violence against women, family law, reproductive rights, parental leave, employment law), childcare, women’s representation (in government, civil society etc): An overview of how women’s rights vary in these areas over time (1975-2005), across countries, and why.
  • Government action on violence against women: How do different governments respond to this problem; current successes and policy challenges
  • The politics of intersectionality: How to analyze, and organize around, differences among women and men

This event is free, and open to AWARE members and volunteers. Please register here.

Cast your Alamak! vote now

Alamak! Who will it be this year?

The Alamak! Award ‘honours’ the most sexist behaviour over the past year. The nominees were selected by members of the public, and the ‘winner’ will be decided through Internet voting.

Voting closes on Sept 8, and the ‘winner’ will be announced at our fundraising event, the Supersonic Big Ball, on Sept 10.

Ready? Meet this year’s nominees:

LONDON WEIGHT MANAGEMENT 

For conceptualizing, producing and running a TV ad that was dangerously misleading about serious issues like post-partum depression and suicide, and which carried damaging messages about health, body image and self-esteem.

In this ad, London Weight Management presents a story where a woman’s weight caused her child’s anguish, her husband’s hatred, her termination at work and extreme self-loathing that erupts into outbreaks of screaming.

All is remedied by London Weight Management treatments – it is only by being thin that that she can be happy and gain her husband’s love.

View the ad here and find out more here.

MR TAN JEE SAY AND DR TAN CHENG BOCK

While running for President, both managed to find words to annoy half the electorate.

“I would like to go back to the days when women can afford to be housewives,” Mr Tan Jee Say said, when asked about his views on the Baby Bonus.

When asked how to encourage female participation in politics, Dr Tan Cheng Bock replied: “The political arena is a difficult area for women in Singapore because the commitment is really very heavy. So you got to get the permission of your husband.”

Find out more here.

DATE WITH DAD

 

It is laudable that this campaign by Focus On The Family Singapore believes that fathers are crucial to helping their daughters build self-worth.

But it is problematic when it encourages dads to “affirm” their daughters’ “femininity” – surely each daughter has her own unique traits worth affirming besides the fact that she is female?

Also unsettling – the event encourages fathers to give their daughters a purity ring, available for sale on their website, to “signify your commitment to protecting her purity until her wedding day”.

Find out more here.

BRIDE OF THE WORLD

Contestants for this pageant, which is co-organised by the People’s Association, model white bridal gowns, because “white is the universal colour of purity” and “where East meets West, a woman wears a resplendent white gown to proclaim her worthiness as a bride”.

The pageant represents marriage as a form of national service.

“In Singapore, our women play an integral role in contributing to our society’s well-being at home, at work and in various communities. They help establish and maintain wholesome family values, and together with our National Service men, they provide our nation’s Total Defence.”

Find out more here.

SHAPE RUN 2012

This women’s run introduced male pacers for the first time. Why no female pacers? According to Shape’s press release and media reports, the male pacers were meant to be “eye candy” – they must “ooze oodles of charm”, in order that the women have “a chance…to chase guys for a change”. Heaven forbid the female runners are there to, you know, run, and not pant after eye candy.

Find out more here.

 

Voting is closed.

[poll id=”5″]

 

Popular parody group Chestnuts will be spoofing the nominees at the Supersonic Big Ball.  Don’t miss their hilarious take on this year’s nominees – reserve your seats today!

Parliament Primer: Cultural shift needed for better birth rate?

The following are excerpts of debates on improving the fertility rate, childcare standards, and workplace policies for women, which took place during the July 9 & 10 sittings of Parliament.

 

Birth rates and singlehood

Lina Chiam asked about the (i) the birth rate among married couples; and (ii) the percentage of single Singaporeans over the past 15 years.

Teo Chee Hean: Singapore faces the challenge of declining birth rates. The last time that the resident Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was above the replacement level of 2.1 was in 1976. The resident TFR was 1.20 in 2011.

Ever married females are having fewer children over time. From 1996 to 2011, the average number of children born to ever-married citizen females aged 30-39 declined from 1.89 to 1.52. Over the same period, the average number of children born to ever-married citizen females aged 40-49 has declined from 2.32 to 2.06.

The proportion of single Singaporeans has been rising. Among Singaporean men aged 30-34, the proportion of singles rose from 35% in 1995 to 44% in 2011. Among Singaporean women aged 30-34, the proportion of singles rose from 21% in 1995 to 31% in 2011.

Promoting flexi-work arrangements

Mary Liew asked (a) whether the Ministry of Manpower has a record of the number of women employed under flexi-work arrangements; (b) if so, how many women under the rank and file category and the PME category are employed under flexi-work arrangements; and (c) how will the Ministry encourage employers to consider offering flexi-work employment to address the manpower shortage.

Foo Mee Har asked what enhanced measures are being considered to promote flexible work arrangements to (i) increase the availability of flexi-work for government employees with young, elderly and disabled dependants; and (ii) encourage more private companies to offer flexi-work options for professionals, managers and executives.

Tan Chuan-Jin: Flexible work arrangements are an important means for employees to manage both work and personal needs. Properly implemented, we believe that flexible work arrangements can improve employee engagement and enhance their sense of well-being and provide flexibility all round.

The provision of flexible work options also avails employers to a larger pool of potential workers who might otherwise find it difficult to join the workforce. This is an important point to emphasise. We do know that there are people, especially women after having the children, are looking to re-enter the workforce but are also looking for flexible work arrangements.

Given the tight labour market, we do encourage employers to consider adjusting the work arrangements to make it flexible so that you can attract a portion of Singaporeans to come back into the labour market. This can be mutually beneficial for both employers and employees.

To promote flexible work arrangements, the Government has in place a range of initiatives. This includes funding assistance schemes, such as the Work-Life Works! Fund, and Flexi-Works! Scheme, where employers receive Government co-funding when they put in place flexible work arrangements that would directly benefit their employees. These include professionals, managers and executives. More than 840 companies and their employees have benefitted from these two programmes so far, and we encourage more companies to participate and come on board.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Hawazi Daipi chairs a national Tripartite Committee (TriCom) on Work-Life Strategy to oversee initiatives to encourage and help employers implement flexible work arrangements. The TriCom has been working with the Employer Alliance, under the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), to organise more fora and dialogue sessions to share effective work-life practices amongst employers.

The Employer Alliance is enhancing its Work-Life Tool Kit and developing more case studies to better help employers recognise the value of enabling work-life harmony for their workers, and at the same time, to implement flexible work-life strategies.

This year, the TriCom is also organising the Work-Life Excellence Award to showcase employers who have put in place good work-life practices and to encourage others to follow suit. And many of these practices are indeed practical and replicable across many of the companies.

In the course of the next two years, the TriCom will focus on fostering workplace cultures that support flexible work arrangements. One initiative that is currently being piloted is the Home-based Work and Smart Work Centres Project by IDA to take advantage of Singapore’s Next-Generation broadband network to facilitate working from home or from satellite offices. While the initiative is not targeted solely at professionals, managers and executives, this group will see more options opening up to them if the pilot proves successful.

While the Government will continue to promote and facilitate the provision of work-life arrangements, employers need to take the lead in implementation with the active support of their employees, as well as the unions. Employees and unions can also help the process by suggesting options and practical alternatives for the companies to take up.

We do not have comprehensive statistics on the number of employees who require and are currently employed on flexible work arrangements. Nonetheless, we are heartened that more employers are now offering work-life arrangements to their employees. For example, in 2010, 35% of establishments offered at least one form of work-life arrangement to their employees, which is up from 25% in 2007. We do foresee that this trend would probably continue.

As the largest employer in Singapore, the Public Service is taking the lead in offering flexible work arrangements to its officers. There are various schemes to help public officers better balance their work and personal needs, which can include looking after their parents, young children or dependants. Many agencies have both flexi-time and flexi-place practices that gives officers options in terms of how they carry out work alongside their personal needs.

The option of a reduced-hour work week is also available to officers who are not able to take on a full work load due to their personal commitments. These flexible working arrangements complement the range of childcare and parental care leave that public officers can tap on for their care-giving responsibilities.

The Public Service has also leveraged its Work-Life Network to build a culture of workplace flexibility. The Network meets regularly to share good practices and has fora and learning journeys to enhance capability in the area of flexible workspace.

In addition, the Public Service also provides resources to educate individual officers and supervisors on the new ways of work, and the responsibility and trust that needs to come about in order to implement flexible work practices successfully.

The fact of the matter is flexible work arrangements can work and has worked and we do encourage companies to take on board and to try these arrangements. This would go a long way in engaging the workforce at the same time, in encouraging more people to return to the workforce.

Mary Liew: I am also the Vice-Chair of the NTUC Women’s Committee. The NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat has been helping some 12,500 women over the past five years to rejoin the workforce.

We recognise that there is a tight labour market right now. Many of these jobs for the women are rank and file jobs. I would like to also add that increasingly, there are more demands for the PME jobs. We would like to ask the Minister of State what more can be done, together with the tripartite partners, to improve the situation.

Although we have been encouraging the companies but the take-up rate has not been as encouraging as we had hoped. I would like to ask if there are any further plans to look into providing a more holistic and flexible support for companies to provide more flexible work arrangements for workers including the PMEs and also to reduce the dropout rates from the workforce and to retain the women within the workforce.

Tan Chuan-Jin: We are quite open to suggestions and ideas about new initiatives that we can put in place to incentivise and encourage companies to go along this path.

We do note that in terms of trends, flexible work arrangements are increasing. For example, as mentioned, the public service in a quite significant way, has been embracing it, and trying to encourage it. It actually varies from sector to sector. A lot depends on the nature of the jobs, whether it allows for flexible work arrangements.

But we do believe that there is still a lot of scope. For example, we do know that in the F&B industry in the developed countries. There is a lot of part-time staff. And they surge the staff numbers during peak hours, for example, during lunch time and dinner time. That kind of flexible work arrangements encourages a lot of women to come back into the workforce, who are looking at coming back to work, but perhaps not looking at full-time work. We do not notice many companies embarking on those practices here.

We do believe that with the tightening labour market, we hope that that in itself, would incentivise companies to take that leap and to make that change. The transition, I think, is not easy.

Culturally, we have used to operating on a particular basis for a very long time. We find that along with other productivity efforts, there is sometimes a bit of inertia in moving along those lines. The natural process will come from the tightened labour market and companies would begin to explore.

What we really need to do is to actively promote this. We need to highlight companies that have successfully implemented these practices in place, so that other companies can realise that it is actually quite feasible and to emulate it and to try it out. We do not have any other particular initiatives right now.

We have put in place a number of programmes as highlighted earlier. We will be quite happy to take on board suggestions from Members of this House and from the public as to whether there are other measures can be put in place. My sense is that as the labour market tightens, and companies are beginning to feel the effects, I would encourage companies to explore, for those that can, flexible work arrangements for their staff.

Ang Hin Kee: For a start, will the Ministry consider having the public sector share the age profile and gender profile of all the employees as an effort to encourage the hiring of workers of all ages, all gender and the proportion share of the flexi-work arrangement in the workforce?

Tan Chuan-Jin: I do not have the specific figures with me but that is something that I can check on, and revert to you on it.

Patrick Tay: Are there any targets set by his Ministry in the number of employers embarking on flexible work arrangements for employees who are parents?

Tan Chuan-Jin: We do not have a specific target per se. What we are tracking are the trends and what we do note is that the numbers are increasing. The percentage of companies that are participating is increasing, and that is something that we are encouraged by, and we continue to do as much as we can to get as many companies on board as possible.

Encouraging higher birth rates

Lee Bee Wah asked whether, in light of the possibility that Singapore’s population will shrink from 2025 if we do not have new citizens, (a) there is any lesson that can be learnt from the European and Norwegian countries in the way they manage their population growth; and (b) whether other measures are looked at to encourage higher birth rates.

Intan Azura Mokhtar asked if there are plans to enhance the baby bonus scheme or other plans to help improve the total fertility rate of Singaporeans.

Teo Chee Hean: Many European countries are addressing their population challenges by pursuing a mix of pro-parenthood and immigration policies. Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway have relatively high Total Fertility Rates (TFR) of between 1.88 and 1.98. These countries have a broad array of pro-parenthood measures such as good childcare systems, generous leave provisions and financial support for child raising costs. We have been studying their policies in the course of developing ours.

Pro-parenthood measures may vary across countries due to differing cultural and socio-economic conditions. The Nordic countries have higher Government spending on pro-parenthood measures, but they also have significantly higher tax rates. The personal income tax rates in the Nordic countries range from 29% to 63%, and most people pay income tax there, compared to Singapore’s personal income tax rates which range from 3.5% to 20%. In fact, most Singaporeans do not pay income tax because the income level at which our income tax kicks in is quite high.

The total fertility rates vary between different countries. I mentioned that in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, the range is between 1.88 and 1.98. Among other European countries, such as Germany and Italy, they vary between 1.39 and 1.41. Germany is 1.39, Italy is 1.41. The US has a TFR of 1.93. So it is not so easy to relate directly the policies or the amount of expenditure to the TFR because there are many other factors at work.

There is one observation, though, in the Nordic countries which do have a higher TFR of 1.88 to 1.98. A high proportion of births are to women who are not married to the father of the child. This is one main difference between their TFR and those of other countries at similar levels of development.

Based on OECD reports, out-of-wedlock births made up about half of all births in Sweden, Denmark and Norway in 2010. In contrast, Asian societies, including Singapore, continue to value having children within the context of marriage. Creating a supportive environment for Singaporeans to form families and raise children remains a key Government priority.

Over the years, we have significantly enhanced our Marriage and Parenthood package, and currently set aside $1.6 billion per year for a broad range of measures. These include: Support for singles to find their life partner; Baby Bonus cash gift and co-savings to help parents defray the costs of child-raising; maternity and childcare leave provisions to help parents balance work and family life; as well as measures to improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of childcare options.

Since 2001, the parents of around 350,000 children have benefitted from these measures.

We have also invested heavily in areas such as education, healthcare and security, in order to make Singapore a good place for families. There are, of course, housing subsidies as well for first-time homeowners to encourage them to set up their own home, and these are not included in the $1.6 billion that I mentioned earlier for the Marriage and Parenthood package.

We are reviewing policies and measures to support marriage and parenthood, taking into account public feedback and the experiences of other countries. Over the next few months, we will be engaging various stakeholders to discuss new ideas as well as enhancements to existing measures. We welcome views and suggestions from the public on how we can improve Singapore’s birth rate.

However, we need to recognise that relying on Government measures alone would not raise Singapore’s birth rate, as getting married and having children are very personal decisions that reflect broader social values and attitudes. To support and encourage Singaporeans, we will need to strengthen Singapore’s pro-family environment, where employers, family members and society-at-large all have a part to play.

Lee Bee Wah: Definitely we are not encouraging more births out of wedlock. A good childcare system is very important. I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister would there be more support given for childcare centres because there is a lot of feedback that there is insufficient childcare centres, and also the fees have gone up tremendously over the last few months.

Teo Chee Hean: Childcare is one of those issues which have consistently been identified by young parents as an issue, which if we could make more accessible, more affordable, would be helpful to them.

There are already currently childcare subsidies. The Baby Bonus is there and it can be used for that. The Child Development Account is also used by many of the parents to help to defray the cost of childcare. In fact, childcare is one of the main ways in which the Child Development Account is used today. But we are looking at this issue again to see whether there are areas that we can improve on.

Intan Azura Mokhtar: Will the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) consider extending paid maternity leave, or better still, having paid parental leave, for both mothers and fathers? Because if you look at the Nordic countries, or even the European countries, such as Germany, Sweden and Norway, their paid parental leave is more than 40 weeks for both parents compared to our 16 plus three days.

Teo Chee Hean: The Member is talking about parental leave, not maternity leave? Maternity and parental leave – yes. The last we looked at maternity leave, we were very careful because there was also another group of persons who were very concerned that this would impact upon the employability of women. That was a fairly large area of concern.

We wanted to make sure that we did not, through making maternity leave provisions more generous, impact on women being employed – as a result of which it would be harder for women to be employed. That is not what we want to have happen as well. And that is why we have this balance where the one additional month of the maternity leave is actually paid for by the Government.

We are open to ideas on how this can be done and I do support having some signal and some practical measures in which men are encouraged to take on a greater role in parenthood and being a present parent rather than a sort of parent from a distance.

Lina Chiam: I would like to ask a very controversial question to the Deputy Prime Minister. Would he consider “Baby Drop”, since Malaysia is doing that and we are having this population problem of not having enough babies? And since the child is born from God’s love and not the fault of the parents, is it possible that the Deputy Prime Minister would consider a “Baby Drop” for Singaporeans to drop their babies off in cases where the child is born out of wedlock?

Teo Chee Hean: I think this is – as Mrs Chiam says – a controversial area. We must be very careful when we implement such measures whether or not we end up inadvertently encouraging unwanted pregnancies and births, and causing greater problems as a result. So I think we need to be very careful about this.

Janice Koh: My supplementary question is with regards to the strategies that Singapore employs. Irrespective of marital status, just looking at a whole country’s statistics, can Singapore not continue to model after the Nordic countries in terms of employing strategies that could also work in Singapore? Irrespective of how we calculate the statistics, whether it is birth out of wedlock or within the family context?

Let me re-phrase. We have been talking about the statistics, comparing the Nordic countries and Singapore, and how the main difference is in calculations. I mean the Nordic countries count out-of-wedlock births as legitimate births, whereas in Singapore we are looking at encouraging baby-making within the family structure. What I am trying to say is can we not look at models across the board and strategies that have worked in Nordic countries in any case?

Teo Chee Hean: Yes, we are certainly looking at that, but we have to be very careful. I raised the issue of marriages out of wedlock only because we have to be careful about how we implement the measures. There may be collateral side effects. There are major cultural differences.

When we look at the urbanised East Asian societies – Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong – they also have low fertility rates. They have also tried measures of various kinds. While we will certainly look at all these measures, we have to be careful of the collateral side effects, the unintended side effects on our society. And we also have to be realistic about what we can achieve.

Seah Kian Peng: My first proposal concerns a group of people who want to have children but for various reasons are unable to. IVF – can we do more for them? I know we are already extending some subsidies. Could these be further increased because this is the group of couples who want to have children?

My second supplementary question is something very uncontroversial. It is relating to paternity leave. I have argued several times in the House, I have been pushing to legislate paternity leave. I recognise the other angles, the business costs of it. But I think we should make a start somewhere, and legislating it even for as short as one day. It is an important signalling effect from the Government.

After all, all of us recognise that parenting is a shared responsibility by both the mother and the father. Having talked to many residents, young couples, many of them have cited that paternity leave is something that is important to the family. I believe it is an important that to push and allow our TFR to go up. I hope the Deputy Prime Minister would consider these two suggestions.

Teo Chee Hean: I know of Mr Seah’s work in the area of families, and also particularly fatherhood, and I appreciate it very much. And these are all ideas which we will take into consideration.

Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) for grandparent childcare-givers

Intan Azura Mokhtar asked if the Ministry of Manpower will consider extending the Workfare Income Supplement to grandparent caregivers who help look after their grandchildren and hence reducing the need for childcare services or help by foreign domestic workers (FDWs).

Tharman Shanmugaratnam: It is very encouraging that many older Singaporeans care for their grandchildren while their parents are away at work. This is a reflection of our strong family ties, and is also a good way for older Singaporeans to keep active.

Measures like the Grandparent Caregiver Relief, which is a $3,000 tax relief, given to working mothers, provide recognition for grandparents who play the role of caregiver and help the mothers take care of their children.

The objective of the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme is different. WIS was designed to supplement the incomes and CPF savings of lower-income Singaporeans, and to encourage them to enter and remain in the labour market.

Allowances received for carrying out family support roles such as babysitting and care-giving for dependents are considered transfers within the family. They are not external sources of income derived from employment, and hence it would not be appropriate to consider these transfers for WIS.

Employment of female employees who are pregnant

Intan Azura Mokhtar asked if the Ministry of Manpower will consider making it mandatory for employers to continue employing female employees who are pregnant, throughout their pregnancy, and not just within six months before the birth of their child.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam: The Government does not condone the discrimination of female employees due to their pregnancy or maternity. The Employment Act (EA) today already allows any employee, including female employees in any stages of pregnancy, to appeal to the Minister for Manpower if they feel that they have been unfairly dismissed. If the Minister finds that the employee has been dismissed without just cause, he may then reinstate the employee or order compensation to be paid to her.

Recognising that some employers may be tempted to dismiss their pregnant employees before their due date, the EA further requires an employer who dismisses a pregnant female employee without sufficient cause within the last six months of her pregnancy to pay her the maternity benefits that she would otherwise be entitled to under the Act.

While the Government protects pregnant female employees against unfair dismissals, we must also be mindful that employers will be less inclined to hire women of childbearing age if we over-prescribe the protection of pregnant employees in our laws. This ultimately affects the employability of a wider group of workers.

MOM last reviewed the protection for pregnant female employees in 2008, when we extended the protection period for female employees from the last three months of pregnancy to the last six months of pregnancy. In our current review of the Employment Act, we are consulting our tripartite partners on whether there is scope to further extend the protection period, without compromising female employability.

At the same time, we acknowledge that legislation cannot be a complete solution to achieve fair employment outcomes. We need to work with our tripartite partners to change mindsets and ensure that we build an inclusive society that recognises fair treatment and equal opportunities. To this end, MOM has been working closely with employers and unions through the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) to promote fair, responsible and merit-based employment practices.