| By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent | ||
 |  | Young Singaporean women want to advance their careers, take leadership roles in society, enjoy life, see the world - and make time for family. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM |
YOUNG Singaporean women now want to carry their own weight in a balanced partnership with men.
Like the men, they too want to advance their careers, take leadership roles in society, enjoy life, see the world - and make time for family.
But the problem is by the time these people in their twenties focus on marriage and starting families, it may be too late and too difficult, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at an international women's conference here on Tuesday.
He acknowledged that policies, work arrangements and social practices will have to evolve to accommodate this new generation.
The hope is that Singapore will eventually find a 'new formula' in society which enables young people to fulfil their aspirations and also have families.
Even this new formula is unlikely to be a permanent or perfect solution, however. But this is how society progresses: step by step with constant adjustments for each new generation, he said.
Mr Lee also referred to this theme of gradual change when he traced the enormous strides that women in Singapore have made in the last several decades.
The key catalyst was to educate women, he noted in his speech to more than 600 women from 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Women Leaders Network.
But Mr Lee also noted the unintended consequences of these changes, particularly that Singaporeans were marrying late and having fewer children.
And despite the state's efforts - including its generous bonuses for having babies - the total fertility rate has not risen.
Noting that the issues that Singapore faces are also experienced by other Apec economies, Mr Lee said: 'We do not have all the solutions. Like everyone else, we must evolve with the times.'
The two-day meeting includes discussions on how women in Apec can weather the troubled economic climate and their role in sustainable development.
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