One of the most important social changes in recent years is the recognition of women in the workplace. Where women were once seen as filling in administrative, secretarial, or care roles, women today are being recognised and hired in a wider variety of positions and industries. Getting women into leadership roles bridges the gender equity gap and introduces businesses to new innovations and growth avenues.
Singapore is no slouch in this regard. 13.1% of Chief Executive Roles in Singaporean businesses have been taken by women, the best performance according to a 2021 Deloitte report. Women representation in government is also on a steady improvement with names such as PAP’s Josephine Teo and WP’s He Ting Ru being prominent women in Parliament with significant roles. Currently, Halimah Yacob is Singapore’s first female president in the island nation’s history.
Progress but not Equality
Even as women make important strides both within the public and private workspaces, equality still eludes women today. According to a Blackbox Study, 43% of Singaporean women respondents felt that their gender impacts their pay and salary levels. Similar concerns were raised about job and career opportunities, promotions, and workplace norms.
These concerns over salaries and job opportunities echo a famous statistic where women only earn 80 cents to every US$1 a man earns. While many have debunked this as being too simplistic and inaccurate, there are insights to be gathered from this number.
There are differences in industry trends between men and women. Women have traditionally been hired in industries with lesser pay (care industries) or have roles that do not necessarily facilitate career growth. Women also tend to start off in lower-paying entry roles and industries such as HR and marketing, while men enter engineering and tech fields with higher paying roles. Even when it comes to the Gig Economy, men make 48% more than women in some sectors.
Some studies have found that the pay gap can be as stark as 55% for traditional fields such as accounting and dentistry. The disparity in starting salaries only further accentuates over time. Other social norms such as women having a traditionally oversized role in caregiving in the family at the expense of career progression hurt long-term career prospects for women.
Steps to Equal Pay
For internal management and HR professionals, diagnosing the presence of a gender pay gap within an organisation is the first and most difficult task. Internal statistical assessments can pick up on potential pay disparities that are motivated by gender. With such information, companies can then develop hiring frameworks to ensure consistency for new hires. The goal is ensuring that hiring offers reflect the capabilities of applicants, not their gender.
Managers and HR departments also need to note that when it comes to subjective self-review, women tend to describe their ability and performance to potential and current employers less favourably than equally performing men. Employers need to be sensitised to this, especially during the hiring and performance review stages. Women employees on their part should feel free to express themselves with more confidence.
Financial institutions such as SGX have begun mandating board diversity disclosures to encourage more women leaders within SGX-listed companies. Many are quick to point out the issue of affirmative action and how it may devalue women’s achievements since there is a belief that women are entering boardrooms because they are women and not because they are qualified. Even so, short-term, affirmative measures such as ensuring board diversity are important as it paves the way for longer-term strategies and new schools of thought within boardrooms and companies.
Governments nowadays have introduced new initiatives to help women succeed within the workplace. From flexible working arrangements to protecting women from discriminatory practices in the workplace, there is a concerted effort to remove hostile elements from the workplace. Singapore has even introduced an enhanced Home Caregiving Grant to aid women in their caregiving duties at home as part of its White Paper Singapore Women’s Development.
The greater challenge for governments is a societal issue. Women are still being forced to choose between career progression and starting families. Hence, governments need to create an environment that validates women’s choices whether at the workplace or at home. Initiatives such as Forward Singapore are an important national conversation to discuss issues of gender gaps, how to aid women, and also support men who are seeking to enable women participation.
Everyone Benefits with Equal Pay
Putting aside the moralistic reasons to push for gender pay equality and equal representation in public and private workspaces, many of the initiatives to aid women will benefit men as well. There is a need to put aside the narrative that helping women achieve pay equality will come at the expense of men.
As women make substantial progress in their work life, businesses and countries can tap on this progress to further develop their growth opportunities. To find out more, get in touch with us at connect@blackbox.com.sg
Author: Blackbox Research Team
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