How To Level The Playing Field Once And For All Guest View

Shiseido Asia-Pacific and ExxonMobil Asia-Pacific recently appointed its first female president and CEO, and chairman and managing director, respectively. In April, OCBC Bank welcomed its first female group CEO — the first woman to head a Singaporean bank. With these recent strides towards women snagging top positions, 2021 is certainly shaping up to be an empowering year for females.

- Yeo Chuen Chuen

Ironically, despite this and years of breaking one glass ceiling after another, female leaders, particularly those in the Asia Pacific region, are still very much the minority at the leadership level. With a 28% proportional ratio of female to male senior leaders in Asia Pacific, women in leadership often risk being overlooked when it comes to bigger and better opportunities in the workplace. Many continue to experience gender inequality, often stemming from unconscious bias on women leadership capabilities and gender roles, as well as a lack of sponsorship for women at the senior levels, leading to a ‘broken rung’.The Minister for Social and Family Development, Masagos Zulkifli, might have declared 2021 to be the Year for Celebrating SG Women, but are we really there yet?

Common Barriers In A 21st Century Workplace

Even in this day and age, unconscious bias and a lack of sponsorship for women at senior levels are still causing many female talents in leadership positions to question their full potential in the workplace. This commonly leads to doubts when asking for higher salaries or promotions, talking about their achievements openly, and even negotiating for work practices and policies that allow them to balance between raising a family and leading a team.