The many challenges faced by women, especially working mothers, in the local workplace

A survey conducted amongst 3000 workers in Jan and Feb this year also found that 23 percent of respondents believed there is gender discrimination in the workplace, where 1 in 10 women surveyed said that they were passed over for a promotion or career advancement opportunity, twice as many compared to male respondents. 2 in 10 women also felt that their firms favor male candidates when hiring, double that for men. More women than men also reported feeling unfairly treated but feared reporting it to the management.  Bigger companies with more than 200 workers are more likely to have communicated a policy against workplace discrimination.

Furthermore, as reported by Channel News Asia, working mothers also pay some form of a work-related penalty compared to men. It is not uncommon to hear employers questioning the loyalty or competency of mothers. As working mothers are already struggling with limited personal bandwidth, it is tough for them to take on extra projects or training, double penalising them for career advancements or pay increases. The blurred line between work and home due to remote working has also led to longer working hours, overwork, and challenges in switching off work.

Mothers also tend to engage in “worry work”, akin to a “second shift of labour” performed at home in addition to paid work in the day. It’s a running mental checklist of tasks to manage the needs and well-being of the family. Essential to supporting the smooth functioning of families, it can become anxiety-inducing when only one parent bears the bulk of such “worry work”. Research conducted in Singapore has shown that Singaporean mothers experienced heightened stress with rising work expectations and disruptions from on and off closure of schools and childcare facilities, leading to burnout and exhaustion as they assumed the increased workload from “worry work” due to the pandemic. As highlighted by Professor Teo You Yenn (2016), “not everyone has maids” and juggling responsibilities gets tougher for women in lower-income brackets. Even with schemes such as the “Working mother-child relief”, care work is predominantly shouldered by mothers.

According to The Business Times, when it comes to women in leadership roles, the numbers become even more dismal, with many women “dropping off” from the corporate ladder when they have young kids due to the greater burden from household and caregiving responsibilities. Women also face barriers such as tokenism, stereotyping, unconscious bias in the board recruitment process, lack of sponsorship, and a general non-inclusive mindset.

SMEs work together with NTUC to remove gender bias and workplace harassment

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seeking to remove gender bias and workplace harassment in partnership with labour union NTUC to set up policies such as proper grievance handling procedures and disciplinary actions. NTUC will also provide training materials, webinars, and a sample HR policy manual that SMEs can use to improve gender equality and anti-harassment policies and practices in their companies, as reported by The Straits Times. The initiative is led by the NTUC women and the family wing (UWAF).

According to a 2021 study on Singapore’s listed companies, companies with higher proportions of female leadership typically posted higher returns on assets (ROA). However, only 13.2 percent of such listed companies' board members were women while almost 50 percent of the 577 companies have all-male boards. Having female leaders not only contribute more highly to the bottom line, but also create safer working conditions.

New ideas to better support women in the workforce

Legislation needs to change, first and foremost to lessen the burden on mothers and encourage fathers to play a stronger role in household and caregiving duties.

Key measures could include more subsidized childcare, increased paid parental leave, and flexible work practices. In Finland, both parents are eligible for 26 weeks of childcare leave, paid at 70 percent of the employee’s wage. One parent can also transfer days from their own leave allowance to the other parent. Paling in comparison, Singaporeans mothers are only eligible for 16 weeks of paid maternity leave while fathers are merely entitled to 2 weeks of paid paternity leave. A four-day work week and the right to disconnect after office hours is also gaining traction in Belgium, Iceland, Spain, France, and Germany.

To encourage more women to progress to leadership roles, AWARE recommends placing gender quotas on the boards of publicly listed companies. Companies should also provide more flexibility to their workers and focus on the value that the worker adds rather than the way they contribute to benefit parents or caregivers who are tied to their responsibilities.

The government could set the basic standard for supporting women, especially working mothers, in the workplace; However, can your company go further to help combat gender bias and workplace harassment?