A recent survey of 223 women and 251 men claims that workplace gender equality in Singapore is strong.
82 percent of the men said there was no gender-based discrimination at their company, according to the poll conducted by employment search engine JobStreet.
But before we pat ourselves on the back, it is worth noting that the women saw it a little differently. A somewhat lower proportion — 71 percent — claimed their workplace was free of such discrimination.
The survey also looked at how many reported experiencing some form of discrimination themselves, with 23 percent of all 474 respondents saying they had. Of those who had suffered discrimination, 45 percent said it was severe.
The survey comes only two months after a series of high-profile pieces in The Straits Times calling for stricter measures to protect women in the workplace.
The firm also found that Singapore has increased the number of women hired in traditionally male-dominated professions, with 73 percent of respondents in the engineering service industries — mechanical, electrical and others — indicating that there is a fair mix of men and women in their industry.
Previous studies have suggested that gender parity is one of women’s top workplace concerns, including a 2018 survey where 80 percent of women reported they would be willing to switch jobs if a company treated women more fairly.
In 2017, Campaign Asia released a comprehensive report on how companies can do even better at giving women equal opportunities, finding that equal numbers of men and women want their employers to prioritize gender equality. Which should be obvious, really — what’s the alternative to not wanting gender equality? Being an asshole?
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