ID :
73727
Tue, 08/04/2009 - 14:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/73727
The shortlink copeid
APEC ECONOMIES MUST ENSURE WOMEN ENJOY EQUAL ACCESS
By Zakaria Abdul Wahab
SINGAPORE, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
economies should ensure women continued to enjoy equal access to education,
economic and leadership opportunities, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong.
Opening the 14th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) here Tuesday, he said this
was important as women currently contributed significantly to the region's
economic development.
He said women, who make up half the labour force in the region, had changed
their attitude and were no longer content with being confined to traditional
subservient roles as housewife or mother taking care of the family and children.
Lee said today's new generation of women, who are better educated and
emancipated, wanted to develop their full potential in numerous fields and also
expected to be treated equally in the men's domain.
He said APEC economies would have to evolve their policies, employment
arrangement and social practices to accommodate the younger new generation.
Lee added that societies which succeeded were often those that modified
their traditional set of values, educated women and empowered them to fulfil
their potential.
The prime minister also raised Singapore's concern that many young
Singaporeans nowadays were marrying late or not getting married, leading to its
total fertility rate currently to stay at 1.28, far below replacement level.
Earlier, Chairperson of the WLN Steering Committee Yu-Foo Yee Shoon said it
was estimated that women's economic contributions in the APEC region amounted to
US$80 billion annually, and their labour force participation rate in the region
was 62.5 per cent.
About 600 women leaders from 21 APEC economies, including Malaysia, attended
the three-day meeting.
The Malaysian delegation was led by Women, Family and Community Development
Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Also present was Domestic Trade, Cooperative and
Consumerism Deputy Minister Tan Lian Hoe.
The WLN, among others, is mandated to educate women about APEC, identify key
issues affecting women in the region, as well as encourage the grouping to take
gender considerations into account in all its programmes, projects and policies.
-- BERNAMA
SINGAPORE, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
economies should ensure women continued to enjoy equal access to education,
economic and leadership opportunities, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong.
Opening the 14th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) here Tuesday, he said this
was important as women currently contributed significantly to the region's
economic development.
He said women, who make up half the labour force in the region, had changed
their attitude and were no longer content with being confined to traditional
subservient roles as housewife or mother taking care of the family and children.
Lee said today's new generation of women, who are better educated and
emancipated, wanted to develop their full potential in numerous fields and also
expected to be treated equally in the men's domain.
He said APEC economies would have to evolve their policies, employment
arrangement and social practices to accommodate the younger new generation.
Lee added that societies which succeeded were often those that modified
their traditional set of values, educated women and empowered them to fulfil
their potential.
The prime minister also raised Singapore's concern that many young
Singaporeans nowadays were marrying late or not getting married, leading to its
total fertility rate currently to stay at 1.28, far below replacement level.
Earlier, Chairperson of the WLN Steering Committee Yu-Foo Yee Shoon said it
was estimated that women's economic contributions in the APEC region amounted to
US$80 billion annually, and their labour force participation rate in the region
was 62.5 per cent.
About 600 women leaders from 21 APEC economies, including Malaysia, attended
the three-day meeting.
The Malaysian delegation was led by Women, Family and Community Development
Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Also present was Domestic Trade, Cooperative and
Consumerism Deputy Minister Tan Lian Hoe.
The WLN, among others, is mandated to educate women about APEC, identify key
issues affecting women in the region, as well as encourage the grouping to take
gender considerations into account in all its programmes, projects and policies.
-- BERNAMA
