Women workers did well

By Jamie Ee Wen Wei

According to a survey, Singaporean women have coped well during the recent downturn despite facing more stress at work. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

SINGAPOREAN women have coped well during the recent downturn despite facing more stress at work, going by an informal survey by the NTUC's Women's Development Secretariat (WDS).

While more than half of the 300 working women surveyed said the downturn affected them - some had pay cuts while others worked longer hours without overtime pay - they still found time for their families and pursued other commitments after work.

Close to 70 per cent of the respondents, all of whom are married, cut back on expenditure but this was in non-essential areas such as eating out and overseas holidays.

The results of the survey, taken this month, were presented by NTUC's deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob at the first joint dialogue session between the WDS and the PAP Women's Wing (PAPWW) yesterday.

The survey provided a snapshot of the impact of the crisis on women in Singapore, Madam Halimah said.

Yesterday's dialogue at the Management Development Institute of Singapore was chaired by the leader of the PAPWW, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Sunday Times.