'For your grit, determination and courage': Ong Ye Kung and other prominent figures on breaking the bias this International Women's Day

Today (March 8) marks International Women's Day (IWD), a day for celebrating the social, economic and political achievement of women. 

This year's theme for IWD 2022 is #BreakTheBias, which is aimed at fostering equality through removing biases, whether deliberate or unconscious.

And in commemoration of IWD, several prominent figures here are showing their solidarity and encouraging others to #BreakTheBias on social media. 

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung 

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The Health Minister uploaded a selfie that he took with a group of healthcare workers from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and wrote: "Today, we celebrate the progress, contributions, lives and passion of women of all ages and different walks of life."

Ong noted that many women are now breaking traditional gender norms in terms of their careers, making reference to an increasing number of female engineers. 

"When I was in Transport (Ministry), I met many female engineers playing their part in keeping Singapore moving. Now At MOH (Ministry of Health), I witness a gradual growth of male nurses in the workforce, fighting against the pandemic." 

"Here’s dedicating this year’s International Women’s Day to all the women in our lives – for your grit, determination, courage, strength and breakthroughs." 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 

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Prime Minister Lee showed his support for women with a group picture he took with some of the female MPs. In his caption, he noted that Singapore's Parliament "currently has the most women in Parliament that it has ever had", with 26 Members of Parliament (MP), three Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP), and one Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP). 

He also added he was "looking forward" to the upcoming White Paper on Women's Development. 

Ending his post, he wrote: "Creating an equitable society for women is an ongoing process. We must all pitch in, to enable women to progress further. Together, let us work towards a fairer, more inclusive Singapore." 

SingPost chief executive Neo Su Yin

A former commander in the Singapore Navy, Neo Su Yin, who is now the CEO at SingPost, also took the opportunity to share how she has broken biases in traditionally male-dominated workplaces on her LinkedIn page. 

“I didn’t have female role models when I first stepped into leadership, so I thought I had to do more than what the men could do, if I wanted to be viewed as equals. Over time, I realised that the key to achieving gender equality is women empowerment."

"We can #BreaktheBias by empowering women, and not only in the workplace but in the society as well. We are all humans, made differently, but equally capable in our own ways,” she posted.

YouTube star Preetipls 

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A known advocate for women's rights and many other social issues, influencer Preetipls celebrated IWD with photos from her photoshoot with Vogue Singapore — where she is seated on the ground dressed in black underwear. 

Keeping the post simple, she wrote in the caption: "Singapore’s TOP model + not so little mermaid vibes. Happy IWD from my beautiful body and I." 

Her post has garnered more than 6,000 likes, and many positive comments from netizens complimenting how she looked in the photos. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com