In conjunction with International Women’s day, TechNode Global talked to Tan Lee Chew, President of Women in Tech Chapter at Singapore Computer Society (SCS) and President Commercial at ST Engineering, to learn more about the vision for the third edition of Singapore 100 Women in Tech List (SG 100 WIT) and how efforts since 2020 have shifted the needle in encouraging women to take up tech careers.

According to her, cultural and sociological factors often act as barriers to women taking up positions in the tech industry, given that Asian women are expected to play multi-faceted roles, both at home and at work.

Too often, these demands translate to women trading off career opportunities and advancement to fulfill their societal roles as wives, mothers or sisters, Tan noted. In fact, women in the Asia- Pacific area devote 4.1 times as much time to caring for their homes and loved ones than men do, which leads to missed opportunities in career progress and impacts overall well-being and by default increases the representation of men in leadership positions in the IT industry.

“Unconscious bias, lack of role models, and imposter syndrome are also common barriers, while gender bias and stereotyping continue to impede the promotion of women. Studies have shown that men are more likely to be promoted than women, even when they have comparable qualifications,” she added.

In the interview, Tan also shared how can gender equality bring about a more inspired, productive, and innovative workforce. She also explained the reasons why SCS and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) would want to promote gender diversity and build a more inclusive and equal society.

Below are the edited excerpts:

1. What is the vision for the third edition of Singapore 100 Women in Tech List (SG 100 WIT) and how efforts since 2020 have shifted the needle in encouraging women to take up tech careers?

The SG 100 WIT is a significant project of the WIT chapter in association with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). This initiative – which started in 2020 – recognizes and celebrates the achievements of women in Singapore’s tech industry, inspiring more women to pursue or advance their careers in technology and for female students to discover their interest and passion in Science, technology, engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). SG 100 WIT has helped to create awareness and nurture conversations on gender diversity to inspire, attract, retain, and develop female tech talent, reinforcing the benefits of having a gender-equal technology workforce as well as

The vision for the current edition continues to be celebrating women’s success across a diverse set of roles in tech including ICT, data science, business entrepreneurs, healthcare, science, and education, and inspiring the next generation of women to have successful careers in the tech industry.

Notable past winners include Jane Shen, Chief Scientist and Managing Director at Pensees Singapore, who has filed more than 300 patents and led her team to win global awards in the domain of AI, deep learning. Her team’s recent contribution is the algorithm development for the Pensees Intelligent Face Recognition Access Control System with temperature monitoring, which is a pre-approved solution for SMEs Go Digital in support of the COVID-19 situation.

Patricia Liu is a global technology business leader. In her role as Chief of Staff and Chief Customer Officer, she along with her team transformed Razer’s customer service to be world-class by introducing innovative services with cutting-edge technology.

2. What are the common obstacles women face in taking up tech careers, advancing their careers, or pursuing leadership roles?

Cultural and sociological factors often act as barriers to women taking up positions in the tech industry, given that Asian women are expected to play multi-faceted roles, both at home and at work. Too often, these demands translate to women trading off career opportunities and advancement to fulfill their societal roles as wives, mothers or sisters. In fact, women in the Asia- Pacific area devote 4.1 times as much time to caring for their homes and loved ones than men do, which leads to missed opportunities in career progress and impacts overall well-being and by default increases the representation of men in leadership positions in the IT industry.

Unconscious bias, lack of role models, and imposter syndrome are also common barriers, while gender bias and stereotyping continue to impede the promotion of women. Studies have shown that men are more likely to be promoted than women, even when they have comparable qualifications. As Sheryl Sandberg states in her book Lean In – “professional ambition is expected of men but is optional – or worse, sometimes even a negative – for women…Female accomplishments come at a cost.”

In the IT industry where women are already under-represented in leadership roles, these challenges exacerbate the situation. Structural programs that can help to change the mindset are much needed and men and women both can play a huge role in enabling a gender-equal and innovative workforce.

3. How can we break gender bias and rally the support of men in achieving gender equality too?

To accelerate change, we need a shift in mindsets to create an environment where women are judged on their merits, and do not have to work harder to prove they have what it takes. This, I submit, is a journey though.

Meaningful change is only possible when there is a commitment to build the eco-system around gender equality rather than approach it as a “tick in the box”. It begins with a vision to build an inclusive culture but requires a framework for successful implementation. This might involve setting goals, shining a light on the contribution of women, identifying role models, encouraging women to play an active role in sharing their experiences to break gender stereotypes and mentoring younger women, creating equal access in recruitment processes, defining merit-based development programs and pathways to promotions and providing community support at the company and national levels.

The role of men is often overlooked but it is vital. Solidarity and an understanding, unshackling of patriarchal privileges, being allies in the journey and consciously supporting and empowering women, all play a key role in helping women advance in their careers.

4. How can gender equality bring about a more inspired, productive, and innovative workforce?

For the advancement of society and the economy, gender equality is crucial. Diverse teams and diverse perspectives help us think broader, and differently, about the relevant and needful solutions for our societies and missions.

To meet the demands of a developing digital industry, firstly, there needs to be a greater pool of skilled talent. Second, diversity in gender fosters innovation. In comparison to the least gender-diverse enterprises, the most gender-diverse firms are 48 percent more likely to outperform their rivals. Thirdly, gender equality improves worker retention and collaboration. According to a PwC global survey, 61 percent of women consider the gender diversity of a firm’s leadership team when choosing a workplace.

Women play a better role to support employee well-being and foster inclusion in the workforce, according to a Mckinsey report. They are also inclusive and empathetic leaders, and are driven to work in companies that prioritize cultural change. These characteristics allow women to build better, stronger teams which allow the workforce to be more inspired, productive and innovative.

5. How does the SG WIT initiative aim to promote gender diversity and empower women to take up leadership roles? How do SCS and IMDA aim to support that goal?

The “SG 100 Women in Tech” initiative aims to attract, retain and develop women’s talent across a diversity of jobs in the IT workforce. By highlighting 100 inspiring women and girls who have made a difference in the tech industry or their tech community, we raise awareness about the importance of women in tech, and how it is possible for women to succeed and advance in their tech careers. Through this initiative, we drive the conversation around how more women can be empowered to take up tech careers, instilling a mindset shift against perceived gender bias or stereotypes.

The SG 100 WIT list is a hallmark initiative of SG Women in Tech. Other initiatives include Girls in Tech week, which aims to educate curious young women who want to explore exciting career opportunities in tech; Mentor Connect, Women in Tech summit, and networking sessions organized by the committee.

6. How can the government, tech industry, enterprises, and community work together towards building a more inclusive and equal society?

The White Paper on Women’s Development proposes 25 action plans to be implemented over 10 years. It tackles equal opportunities in the workplace and other support measures for women and mindset shifts. It is also a great platform for the industry, community, and government to collaborate in nurturing a more inclusive and equal society.

The White Paper was developed after a series of engagements between the public and private sectors as well as non-governmental organizations. It was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in September last year at the closing session of the Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development. This is a prime example of how different organizations from various sectors, including the government, can collaborate to build a more gender-inclusive and uplifting society.

Some policies include:
● New Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements by 2024, to require employers to consider employees’ flexi-work requests fairly and properly.
● Career mentorship, networking opportunities and training programs for women at work and re-entering the workforce.
● Revised Singapore Exchange Listing Rules and Practice Guidance to the Code of Corporate Governance to support greater board diversity, including gender diversity.
● Council for Board Diversity will lead efforts to increase women’s representation on boards.
● Gender stereotypes about careers will be addressed through education; The Character and Citizenship Education curriculum in schools will address equity of familial roles.

Separately, the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) acts as the National Coordinating body of women’s organizations in Singapore. SCWO has more than 60 member organizations, representing over 600,000 women, and it serves to unite them to work toward the ideals of ‘Equal Space, Equal Voice and Equal Worth’ for women in Singapore.

7. Why would SCS and IMDA want to promote gender diversity, and build a more inclusive and equal society? What are the pros?

Access to technology and digital tools is an equalizer and contributes significantly to creating a level playing field for a more inclusive world. Despite all the progress, the reality is that inequalities faced by women remain a major global challenge. To put things in perspective – in the last decade – the exclusion of women from the digital world has cost low and middle-income nations approximately $1 trillion in GDP, according to the UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report.

In Singapore, women comprise 41 percent of the tech workforce, and this is higher than the global average of 28 percent. We have made enormous progress in women’s development since the enactment of the Women’s Charter in 1961, where basic access to education, healthcare, and employment was addressed, however, there is room for improvement. Singapore Computer Society and IMDA are committed to advancing Singapore’s Infocomm and digital media industry across all fronts that include gender parity in the IT workforce as it leads to a cohesive, productive workforce and society.

8. Are there any gender-based barriers or biases in the tech sector in Singapore that need to be addressed? To what extent SCS and IMDA can help?

A widely-cited reason for the lack of gender diversity in the tech industry in Singapore is the lack of pipeline – that there are not enough women graduating with degrees in the STEM field, and the representation of women in the workforce drops at each career stage. Women in STEM in Singapore are more likely than men to perceive barriers to entry and progression in careers due to gender, as per a study by the Promotion of Women in Engineering, Research, and Science (POWERS) program. The study highlighted that women leave the STEM career path because they did not feel they belong. The lack of role models and appreciation for women’s contributions to the sector are also barriers they face when choosing to stay in the field or deciding to advance their careers.

Since 2019, the Singapore government has been working with industry and community partners under the SG Women in Tech movement, which has reached more than 123,000 people.

The SG Women in Tech Corporate Pledge was introduced to encourage companies to create better support systems for women in the workplace, especially for younger women pursuing a career in tech. Since 2021, 64 companies, including MNCs like Amazon, PayPal and Microsoft, and local unicorns like Razer and Shopee, have come on board with concrete measures to support women, such as coaching and mentorship programs, as well as a commitment to fair hiring practices. ST Engineering likewise has joined the corporate pledge and has a “Women at ST Engineering council” to support the growth and development of women in the organization.

There is also a “Girls in Tech” movement which provides a platform for young female students to pursue their interest in tech, and eventually a tech career. We have also partnered with the tech industry on the SG100 Women in Tech List, to profile women from diverse backgrounds and across different ages who are successful in tech-related careers. These role models inspire, motivate and mentor younger women in the industry, and help to challenge the false perception that men are more suited for careers in tech.

On the international front, partnerships support efforts to digitally transform our respective economies and present opportunities for us to connect support networks for women entrepreneurs and women in tech. For example, we launched in June 2022 the US-Singapore Women in Tech Partnership Program to provide budding and experienced women tech leaders from Singapore and the United States to enable the cross-pollination of ideas, expand networks and identify new partners and business opportunities.

Nominations for 3rd edition of 100 Women in Tech list now open