New study says only 3 in 10 Singaporeans ‘very comfortable’ with women leaders

SINGAPORE: A recent study showed there are only three out of 10 Singaporeans who are ‘very comfortable’ with women in leadership, specifically a head of state, minister, or the CEO of a big or small or midsize enterprise (SME).

The Reykjavik Index for Leadership, launched in 2018, is the first global measurement of perceptions in society of men’s and women’s suitability for leadership.

In the 2022-2023 index, the perceptions of over 14,000 people between the ages of 18-65 from the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America), as well as Australia, Iceland, Indonesia, Poland, Singapore, Spain and Thailand, have been taken into account.

“Now in its fifth year, the Index provides a view on the extent to which society holds perceptions of prejudice on whether women are seen as equally suitable as men to lead,” says the website of Kantar Public, which is responsible for the index.

The study revealed that the perception that Singapore has reached gender equality is relatively high, and yet, a bias against women leaders remains.

Prejudice against women leaders is still high with both men (71 per cent) and women (62 per cent).

The index shows that women’s leadership is yet to be widely accepted in Singapore, with many of the Singaporean respondents saying that women are only able to lead better in specific niches including beauty, childcare, and fashion.

However, in industries such as engineering, architecture, aerospace, high-tech, artificial intelligence, gaming, manufacturing, government and politics, automotive, defence and police, and intelligence services, many of the respondents expressed the view that women cannot lead better.

When asked how important gender equality is in society, Singaporeans gave this factor a 7.3 out of 10.

But according to the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisation, the future of gender parity in the country is on an upward rise, deeming it increasingly positive.

/TISG

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