“Are you a feminist?”
This was the question that came up when I was interviewed to be the next executive director (ED) of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).
It was a question that I would venture only an organisation like AWARE – known for its women’s rights advocacy for many years – would ask of its candidates, and where the response would be weighed in all seriousness. It is a question that I believe should be asked of any prospective leader of AWARE.
Does being a single mother of four daughters, who has survived, nay, picked herself up from the ashes of an acrimonious and long-drawn-out divorce, make me a feminist?
Does setting up resources like a women’s employee resource group and a nursing room for lactating mothers at Shell Singapore in the early 2000s – when these were not commonplace – make me a feminist?
Does being a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, improving gender representation and workplace inclusion, make me a feminist?
To me, what’s more important isn’t whether I am a feminist or not. But the kind I should be.
I am both a cautious and angry feminist.
I am cautious because leading a feminist group makes me a lightning rod.
When I first considered the position of leading AWARE and continuing the advocacy work that has become its hallmark, I needed to consider the ramifications on my family. Unlike my predecessor, I have children – daughters aged 15, 17, 21, and 24 – who are still growing up in a system where patriarchy is alive and well.
Lim Shoon Yin (bottom left) with her four daughters, aged between 15 and 24, who inspire her to be a better person and feminist. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
Being the ED of AWARE is a very public role. Leading AWARE essentially means leading the feminist movement in Singapore. We see countless forum threads and comments on our social media platforms filled with men – and at times, women – who are deeply disgruntled with AWARE, spewing vitriol and bigotry at anything we do.
The possibility that my daughters might be accosted while out with me by such men and women is what concerns me the most.
Which is why I had a family conference with them to ask how they felt about the role. I brought them up as feminists, so I was not surprised that they were genuinely proud of me and thought it was a great opportunity.
Yet, I still worried about whether they understood what I was walking into. I talked it through with them, preparing them for the worst possibilities.
After I was appointed, I lost a few friends who were uncomfortable with AWARE, particularly after witnessing the events of the 2009 AWARE Saga. Then, a conservative Christian faction had taken over AWARE for roughly six weeks – they wanted to significantly change AWARE’s focus and direction – but an extraordinary annual general meeting in May that year ousted the new leadership.
Because of the AWARE Saga, some friends told me that they saw AWARE as a “bunch of noisy and woke feminists”.
That both saddened me and validated my caution. But I did not let it break my resolve.
Those who peel past the stigmatisation of feminism will see that feminists are people – both women and men – who seek to end discrimination against women and girls. They strive to remove gender-based barriers to allow people to develop their potential to the fullest.
I hope the impact that I make through AWARE will eventually change those friends’ minds over time, to see the good feminism does for our society.
We have seen feminism’s gains at work already.
The conclusion of the AWARE saga in 2009 was an emotional event for veterans and original executive committee members. (Photo: AWARE Singapore)
Since AWARE’s founding in 1985, the local and global societal backdrop has shifted away from overtly traditional gender roles in patriarchal systems.
Singapore has faced several misogynistic policies over the decades. In 1979, the National University of Singapore’s School of Medicine introduced a policy that limited its female enrolment to one-third of each cohort. The quota was only lifted in 2003.
In 1984, the Graduate Mothers’ Scheme was introduced to encourage university-educated women to have more than two children to boost the local talent pool. It was withdrawn in 1985 after backlash for being eugenistic and discriminatory to non-graduate women.
And while some legal safeguards had already been in place, more comprehensive legal reforms lagged severely. For instance, marital rape was fully criminalised only in 2020, and voyeurism was codified as a distinct offence that same year. The White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development was published in 2022, and significant amendments to strengthen protections against family violence were passed barely three years ago in 2023.
Although belated, these reforms reflect a shift towards more egalitarian norms alongside rising female education and labour force participation.
I am optimistic about the progress that has been made. I see it in the opportunities that my daughters have in school and their future careers, and how they are holding their own with the boys in their schools.
Lim Shoon Yin (bottom left) worked in the DEI sector for several years, introducing many workplace policies to improve women’s work-life balance. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
But I am concerned that we might get lulled into a false sense of achievement around gender equality. That these signs of progress mean feminism and AWARE are no longer relevant, or worse, that feminism does more harm than good.
Dig beneath the veneer of the statistics around the achievements of girls and women in society, however, and we can see that the work of feminism is not done, and may always be ongoing.
A 2025 Ipsos survey found that 62 per cent of Singaporeans think “things have gone far enough” in giving women equal rights, with 68 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women holding this view.
In an earlier study in 2022, almost half of Singaporeans (48 per cent) believe promoting women’s equality may now discriminate against men, and one third of men think feminism does more harm than good.
It is alarming how many of us do not recognise the gendered inequalities that persist, and that violence against women and girls is alive and well in Singapore.
You need only look at the news, from the circulation of deepfake nudes of female students by Singapore Sports School boys to the tragedy of Megan Khung. You need only see how marginalised groups like single unwed mothers and transnational spouses remain on the fringe, how patriarchy is still baked into our structural norms.
The goal of feminism is to put a stop to these gendered inequalities.
The work is not done because we know from our Women’s Care Centre and Sexual Assault Care Centre – helplines for women in distress – that there are still a significant number of women and girls who are subjected to gender-based discrimination and violence.
Our helplines, counselling, case management, and legal clinic supported nearly 3,000 women and survivors in 2025. The women sought help over a range of issues: rape, sexual harassment, coercive control, domestic violence, technology-facilitated sexual violence, workplace discrimination, marital and family distress, and more.
That is 3,000 too many. And worryingly, we know that many more do not reach out for help.
The work is not done because if care is not taken by governments and industry leaders to address the gender-based inequities baked into our livelihoods, they will be exacerbated by the transformation that is coming with AI.
Meanwhile, sectors where women are over-represented, such as administrative, clerical, and support jobs, are most exposed to AI disruption – in Singapore, 10 per cent more women than men hold roles disrupted by AI.
The work is not done because there are groups that still do not have access to rights that we take for granted.
One such group is lower-income transnational families where the foreign spouses (often women) struggle to adjust to life in Singapore and face immigration and residency challenges.
Lim Shoon Yin (left) believes she first needs to recognise her own privilege so that she can help other women. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
I would not have had the privilege of meeting them were it not for my own divorce.
When I was ordered to go for mandatory counselling to help ex-spouses learn to co-parent post-divorce, I encountered a group of foreign spouses. Women who had their long-term visit passes cancelled by their ex-spouses and were on social visit passes sponsored by their lawyers, so that they could remain in Singapore to fight for their right to see their children.
They had not met their children for a few years at that point. Visitations had been denied by their ex-spouses.
I was incredulous. These women were going through pointless mandatory co-parenting sessions to be able to begin the legal process to gain access to their kids.
I was upset at the lack of sensitivity, and at the end of a breakout session where we were supposed to be discussing how to be mindful not to compete with the other parent in Christmas gifting, I raised the point to the counsellor that these women had not seen their kids for two Christmases.
The counsellor merely shrugged in resignation and continued with the session. It infuriated and saddened me deeply, but at the time, being buried in my own divorce proceedings, I had no capacity to help.
This is why I have a second type of feminist inside me: the angry feminist.
As a woman, a leader, a mother, a human being, I should be rightfully furious that we are still facing so many of these issues today.
I make no apology if I am seen as an “angry” feminist when I speak up and bear my indignation that we are seeing these situations of inequality and gender violence today.
If seeming ‘angry’ is what it takes to effect change, then I am proud to be an angry feminist.
To be able to advocate for change in this arena, we do need sufficient fire in our bellies to point out the injustice that we see and gumption to engage with stakeholders for change.
The founding mothers of AWARE were angry women – their anger betraying a love for their country and their fellow citizens, and a desire to create a more equal society where we could achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.
Look where we stand today because of their work. I hope the feminists reading this will come join me.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...
This was the question that came up when I was interviewed to be the next executive director (ED) of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).
It was a question that I would venture only an organisation like AWARE – known for its women’s rights advocacy for many years – would ask of its candidates, and where the response would be weighed in all seriousness. It is a question that I believe should be asked of any prospective leader of AWARE.
Does being a single mother of four daughters, who has survived, nay, picked herself up from the ashes of an acrimonious and long-drawn-out divorce, make me a feminist?
Does setting up resources like a women’s employee resource group and a nursing room for lactating mothers at Shell Singapore in the early 2000s – when these were not commonplace – make me a feminist?
Does being a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, improving gender representation and workplace inclusion, make me a feminist?
To me, what’s more important isn’t whether I am a feminist or not. But the kind I should be.
I am both a cautious and angry feminist.
WHAT BEING A CAUTIOUS FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE
I am cautious because leading a feminist group makes me a lightning rod.
When I first considered the position of leading AWARE and continuing the advocacy work that has become its hallmark, I needed to consider the ramifications on my family. Unlike my predecessor, I have children – daughters aged 15, 17, 21, and 24 – who are still growing up in a system where patriarchy is alive and well.
Lim Shoon Yin (bottom left) with her four daughters, aged between 15 and 24, who inspire her to be a better person and feminist. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
Being the ED of AWARE is a very public role. Leading AWARE essentially means leading the feminist movement in Singapore. We see countless forum threads and comments on our social media platforms filled with men – and at times, women – who are deeply disgruntled with AWARE, spewing vitriol and bigotry at anything we do.
The possibility that my daughters might be accosted while out with me by such men and women is what concerns me the most.
Which is why I had a family conference with them to ask how they felt about the role. I brought them up as feminists, so I was not surprised that they were genuinely proud of me and thought it was a great opportunity.
Yet, I still worried about whether they understood what I was walking into. I talked it through with them, preparing them for the worst possibilities.
After I was appointed, I lost a few friends who were uncomfortable with AWARE, particularly after witnessing the events of the 2009 AWARE Saga. Then, a conservative Christian faction had taken over AWARE for roughly six weeks – they wanted to significantly change AWARE’s focus and direction – but an extraordinary annual general meeting in May that year ousted the new leadership.
Because of the AWARE Saga, some friends told me that they saw AWARE as a “bunch of noisy and woke feminists”.
That both saddened me and validated my caution. But I did not let it break my resolve.
Those who peel past the stigmatisation of feminism will see that feminists are people – both women and men – who seek to end discrimination against women and girls. They strive to remove gender-based barriers to allow people to develop their potential to the fullest.
I hope the impact that I make through AWARE will eventually change those friends’ minds over time, to see the good feminism does for our society.
THE IMPACT OF FEMINISM ON SINGAPORE SOCIETY
We have seen feminism’s gains at work already.
The conclusion of the AWARE saga in 2009 was an emotional event for veterans and original executive committee members. (Photo: AWARE Singapore)
Since AWARE’s founding in 1985, the local and global societal backdrop has shifted away from overtly traditional gender roles in patriarchal systems.
Singapore has faced several misogynistic policies over the decades. In 1979, the National University of Singapore’s School of Medicine introduced a policy that limited its female enrolment to one-third of each cohort. The quota was only lifted in 2003.
In 1984, the Graduate Mothers’ Scheme was introduced to encourage university-educated women to have more than two children to boost the local talent pool. It was withdrawn in 1985 after backlash for being eugenistic and discriminatory to non-graduate women.
And while some legal safeguards had already been in place, more comprehensive legal reforms lagged severely. For instance, marital rape was fully criminalised only in 2020, and voyeurism was codified as a distinct offence that same year. The White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development was published in 2022, and significant amendments to strengthen protections against family violence were passed barely three years ago in 2023.
Although belated, these reforms reflect a shift towards more egalitarian norms alongside rising female education and labour force participation.
I am optimistic about the progress that has been made. I see it in the opportunities that my daughters have in school and their future careers, and how they are holding their own with the boys in their schools.
Lim Shoon Yin (bottom left) worked in the DEI sector for several years, introducing many workplace policies to improve women’s work-life balance. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
But I am concerned that we might get lulled into a false sense of achievement around gender equality. That these signs of progress mean feminism and AWARE are no longer relevant, or worse, that feminism does more harm than good.
Dig beneath the veneer of the statistics around the achievements of girls and women in society, however, and we can see that the work of feminism is not done, and may always be ongoing.
A 2025 Ipsos survey found that 62 per cent of Singaporeans think “things have gone far enough” in giving women equal rights, with 68 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women holding this view.
In an earlier study in 2022, almost half of Singaporeans (48 per cent) believe promoting women’s equality may now discriminate against men, and one third of men think feminism does more harm than good.
It is alarming how many of us do not recognise the gendered inequalities that persist, and that violence against women and girls is alive and well in Singapore.
You need only look at the news, from the circulation of deepfake nudes of female students by Singapore Sports School boys to the tragedy of Megan Khung. You need only see how marginalised groups like single unwed mothers and transnational spouses remain on the fringe, how patriarchy is still baked into our structural norms.
The goal of feminism is to put a stop to these gendered inequalities.
The work is not done because we know from our Women’s Care Centre and Sexual Assault Care Centre – helplines for women in distress – that there are still a significant number of women and girls who are subjected to gender-based discrimination and violence.
Our helplines, counselling, case management, and legal clinic supported nearly 3,000 women and survivors in 2025. The women sought help over a range of issues: rape, sexual harassment, coercive control, domestic violence, technology-facilitated sexual violence, workplace discrimination, marital and family distress, and more.
That is 3,000 too many. And worryingly, we know that many more do not reach out for help.
The work is not done because if care is not taken by governments and industry leaders to address the gender-based inequities baked into our livelihoods, they will be exacerbated by the transformation that is coming with AI.
Meanwhile, sectors where women are over-represented, such as administrative, clerical, and support jobs, are most exposed to AI disruption – in Singapore, 10 per cent more women than men hold roles disrupted by AI.
LEARNING FROM WOMEN OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS
The work is not done because there are groups that still do not have access to rights that we take for granted.
One such group is lower-income transnational families where the foreign spouses (often women) struggle to adjust to life in Singapore and face immigration and residency challenges.
Lim Shoon Yin (left) believes she first needs to recognise her own privilege so that she can help other women. (Photo: Lim Shoon Yin)
I would not have had the privilege of meeting them were it not for my own divorce.
When I was ordered to go for mandatory counselling to help ex-spouses learn to co-parent post-divorce, I encountered a group of foreign spouses. Women who had their long-term visit passes cancelled by their ex-spouses and were on social visit passes sponsored by their lawyers, so that they could remain in Singapore to fight for their right to see their children.
They had not met their children for a few years at that point. Visitations had been denied by their ex-spouses.
I was incredulous. These women were going through pointless mandatory co-parenting sessions to be able to begin the legal process to gain access to their kids.
I was upset at the lack of sensitivity, and at the end of a breakout session where we were supposed to be discussing how to be mindful not to compete with the other parent in Christmas gifting, I raised the point to the counsellor that these women had not seen their kids for two Christmases.
The counsellor merely shrugged in resignation and continued with the session. It infuriated and saddened me deeply, but at the time, being buried in my own divorce proceedings, I had no capacity to help.
WHAT BEING AN ANGRY FEMINIST MEANS
This is why I have a second type of feminist inside me: the angry feminist.
As a woman, a leader, a mother, a human being, I should be rightfully furious that we are still facing so many of these issues today.
I make no apology if I am seen as an “angry” feminist when I speak up and bear my indignation that we are seeing these situations of inequality and gender violence today.
If seeming ‘angry’ is what it takes to effect change, then I am proud to be an angry feminist.
To be able to advocate for change in this arena, we do need sufficient fire in our bellies to point out the injustice that we see and gumption to engage with stakeholders for change.
The founding mothers of AWARE were angry women – their anger betraying a love for their country and their fellow citizens, and a desire to create a more equal society where we could achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.
Look where we stand today because of their work. I hope the feminists reading this will come join me.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...