Glass Castle: Born in 1965, you in essence grew up side-by-side with the nation of Singapore. Could you talk a little about the evolving expectations for women in society over your lifetime?

Sylvia Lim: I did not feel it in my family as my parents treated boys and girls similarly. But I have seen evolution outside of my family. These days, it would not be acceptable to ask a girl not to further her studies so that her brother can do so. Another phenomenon is that being a homemaker is now a luxury compared to the past, when economic pressure and the cost of living was not so severe.

Jolene, a long time blog reader, informs me that one of her new projects, along with collaborators Athena and Reine, has reached fruition. In Jolene’s own words:

We’re pleased to announce the launch today of a new webzine focusing on women’s welfare and gender relations in Singapore and the region. The inaugural issue includes an interview with NCMP Sylvia Lim and an explanation of the aims and aspirations for this new online community.

http://www.glass-castle.org/

Updates to the main zine are every other Monday, but the blog will be updated on a more frequent basis. Please have a look, and have your browser bookmark ready if you like what you see!

The quote at the beginning comes from an exclusive interview with NMP Sylvia Lim on her experiences in male-dominated sectors of Singapore society, from her early days as a police officer to her current portfolio as NMP.

Feminism to some connotes bra-burning fanaticism, but in reality it’s more about gender equality from the women’s point of view. While it may seem abstract and remote, and hence a non-issue to some readers, Jolene lists some common examples of inequity in her inaugural editorial in Glass Castle:

Here’s a few example of sex inequality in Singapore: poor women are purchased from neighbouring countries to be all-in-one cleaners, sex partners and wombs. When husbands force intercourse on their wives, the law does not see this as rape. Women are bombarded with advertising insisting that our bodies are problems requiring solutions.

(Glass Castle’s list doesn’t include one example too painfully obvious to mention: no national service for Singapore women. It’s not just about women when it comes to gender inequality.)

And yet it’s the women whom, all too often, get the short end of the stick. Glass Castle continues with this:

We do not accept that inequality is part of our culture that must be preserved against Western imperialism, modernity, or anything else. Women everywhere - in Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere, not just in the West - are facing down inequality. For thousands of years women in most places had almost no say in what the “culture” of “their” societies involved. The “cultures” of our immigrant ancestors included crippling women in the name of beauty, and throwing living women into fires when their husbands died. Culture does and must change.

If you care about changing our society for the better, do check out Glass Castle and say hi to Athene, Jolene and Reine, the team working hard to bring you news and analysis on the women’s welfare front.