Singapore is probably one of the most gender-equal places in the world. We have equal opportunities in education, so no career door has ever been closed to me, and I’ve never bumped my head against a glass ceiling.

I also owe my ability to successfully juggle a family and a demanding career to my housekeeper, who made sure that my household and family are well cared for.

Singapore’s economic success has been built on the efforts, not just of our people, but of our many foreign domestic workers. We need to be grateful for that.

Singapore has all the right infrastructure to support women’s rights, but our software needs to be reprogrammed so that women don’t labour under the heavy expectation that they can pursue their careers only if they are still the primary caregiver and primary housekeeper.

To be truly equal, we need the fathers to play a more integral and integrated role in the family. Only then will women be free to pursue their goals.

– Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Director

Read more at The Business Times