Only 54 per cent of professional Singaporean women feel it is their responsibility to help other women, according to a new HSBC-commissioned survey from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
These figures are far below the 69 per cent of Malaysian women and 74 per cent of Indonesian women who feel the same way.
Entitled
Mind the gaps: Perceptions of gender equality in corporate Southeast Asia, the report surveyed 300 female senior executives – with Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia providing 100 respondents each.
“Singapore women – particularly those at senior levels – are more likely to focus on their own career progression than the broader gender diversity issue, with the focus increasing the more senior they get,” HSBC said in a statement.
This gap is highlighted by survey results showing female senior executives do not typically include gender equality as part of their formal responsibilities.
While over 75 per cent of those surveyed said it was crucial to provide advice and training to future women leaders, only 16 per cent said this duty was part of their job. Additionally, while 63 per cent of believed companies should make a commitment to promote women leaders, only 12 per cent said this was their responsibility.
“It is clearly incumbent on all of us at a senior level in the corporate world, whether male or female, to continue to work hard on mentoring and providing equal opportunities for all our female colleagues,” Guy Harvey-Samuel, chief executive of HSBC Singapore, said in a statement.
The survey also found that Singaporean female executives were more likely to perceive a gender diversity gap than their Southeast Asian neighbours.
In all, 56 per cent of female professionals in Singapore felt they were under-represented amongst senior management compared with 44 per cent in both Malaysia and Indonesia.
Respondents in Singapore estimated that around 26 per cent of senior executives in their firms were women – a lower figure than the 32 per cent in Malaysia and 34 per cent in Indonesia.
In Singapore however, only 50 per cent of women said they had to work harder than their male co-workers for equal recognition. This hints that Singapore may have a greater number of fairer workplaces than in Malaysia and Indonesia where 59 per cent and 58 per cent of women felt they had to put in more effort than their male counterparts.
Related stories:
Women holding around 10% of director roles in large firms
Singapore lagging behind Malaysia in diversity
Women in the workplace: What does the future hold?
