After a hiatus of two years, the Her World Woman of the Year award ceremony was back with a bang at the Raffles Hotel. Since 1991, the Woman of the Year award recognises women of excellence who have overcome all odds to achieve tremendous success in their fields. While women have made tremendous strides in Singapore, there is no denying that we still face numerous challenges in the workforce. With an illustrious guest list in attendance, we took the opportunity to pick their brains to understand what obstacles career women face today.
Fannie Lim, executive director of Daughters of Tomorrow
“One of the biggest challenges is the perception that people have about returning mothers to the workforce.”
Ong Soh Chin, president of AWARE
“It would have to be balancing our careers and family life. Women take up most of the caregiving responsibilities and they have to work as well, because everyone has to work these days to make a living and get by. Things have changed, and there have been a lot of improvements, but we still have a long way to go.”
Joyce Tee, managing director and group head of SME banking, DBS Bank
“It would be to strike a balance in work-life, as women want to make sure that they have a good family life and a meaningful career that matters to them. To me, that’s very important.”
Bipasha Minocha, group chief marketing officer, EtonHouse International
“It would be the fact that it is not (an equal situation) for women at home – in terms of looking after the family and the expectations that we have for women – and yet, we are expected to perform equally well or even better. I would encourage more men to take a more active role at home.
I think it is also challenging to break (gender) stereotypes and really punch above your weight, and also break the glass ceiling when it comes to certain roles which are more male dominated or ‘traditional’. We are making the right moves in the right direction, but there is a lot more to be done.”
Lum May Yee, former actress and model, and marketing for The Canary Diamond and ByCanary
“I feel that in today’s society, a woman’s biggest challenge is to secure equality in the workplace, in terms of pay and respect.”
The Her World Woman Of The Year 2022 gala was organised with support from our official partner, The Hour Glass.
