Cover Georgette Tan, the president of United Women Singapore
Georgette Tan, the president of United Women Singapore
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Georgette Tan discusses how the non‐profit organisation is moving the needle on women’s empowerment in Singapore towards a more equitable society
At the heart of the movement for gender equality in Singapore today are dedicated advocates such as Georgette Tan, who leverages her extensive experience in corporate communications and leadership to champion women’s empowerment on multiple fronts. As part of her former role as senior vice‐president of communications at Mastercard Asia Pacific, she led corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes as well as partnerships with non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), which involved working with women’s groups and rural communities. Through that, she found her calling.
“I visited women in rural areas who farm and take on sewing projects to earn money,” recalls Tan. “In the Philippines, women operate sari‐sari stores (neighbourhood retail shops) in front of their homes, serving their communities by selling essential items and in smaller quantities—such as shampoo sold in sachets—due to the poverty in the area and a lack of space in the home.” Reflecting on their motivations, she shares: “They said it’s so their children could have better lives than they had, and so they could provide food and care for the elders.” She also observed how these women were reluctant to acknowledge that their own self‐fulfilment, though a factor, was their last priority.
Returning to these communities after a year, the impact of the CSR programmes was evident. As Tan tells it, “the women had gained confidence, and told us they wanted to help the next village and teach more women so their children can also benefit”. It was this resilience that motivated her move to the non‐profit sector.
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“While [my work now] may not be in the Philippines or Indonesia, there are women and girls in Singapore who need help too,” says the president of United Women Singapore (UWS), who, on top of leading the local non‐profit organisation that fosters women’s empowerment and gender equality, extends her advocacy through various leadership roles.
These include serving as the chair of BoardAgender, dedicated to advancing more women into boardrooms, and on the boards of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO), the national coordinating body of women’s organisations in Singapore, as well as the non‐profit group SG Her Empowerment (SHE). “In all cases, our North Star is working towards the empowerment of women. It’s about moving the dial towards gender equality,” Tan says.
UWS’s pivotal areas of focus are where gender disparities are most pronounced, notably in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem). Citing the 2020 Stem Career Prospects Among Girls in Singapore report by UWS and Agility Research & Strategy, which revealed that a disproportionate percentage of teenage girls (38 per cent) were less self‐confident than teenage boys (18 per cent) and perceived themselves to be inadequately qualified when it comes to pursuing a Stem career, Tan stresses that the Stem gender gap “isn’t a competency issue, it’s a confidence issue”. UWS’s flagship programme Girls2Pioneers aims to “support female students so they [can] choose Stem subjects in school and institutes of higher learning, and Stem careers if they wish,” says Tan. “We believe that a Stem foundation and capabilities help [attain] equity in the career space across all industries.” The Girls2Pioneers STEMentorship programme complements it by providing young women with assistance on how to write their resumes, prepare for interviews and get access to professional mentorship.
UWS also champions equality through its Boys Empowered and Girls Empowered programmes. The former involves collaborating with NGOs and government bodies to host events and workshops that dismantle stereotypes and encourage male allyship, while the latter equips young women with essential skills and knowledge for overcoming life’s challenges, focusing on job readiness, financial literacy and legal rights awareness, so they can maximise their full potential.
In the fight for gender equality in Singapore, Tan acknowledges progress but also the persistence of ongoing stereotypes. Granted, the efforts so far are commendable: the scope of women’s empowerment, for instance, has expanded to include combating online harms against girls and women, resulting in the establishment of the Singapore Together Alliances for Action in 2021 by the Ministry of Communications and Information to close the digital safety gap and put in place support mechanisms for such victims. January 2023 saw the opening of SheCares@SCWO, a partnership between SHE and SCWO, that is the nation’s first one‐stop support centre that provides helplines and counselling for such victims or survivors and, Tan elaborates, aids them by “speeding up the content takedown process, working with lawyers for those seeking legal recourse, assisting with police reporting and supporting their journey to recovery”.
Above Georgette Tan
Georgette Tan
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However, “traditional mindsets remain”, says Tan, raising the example of perceptions about Stem careers. Bringing up the 2023 Girls in Stem: Building a Supportive Ecosystem 1.0 report by UWS and Robertsbridge Stonehaven, she specifically calls out the finding on parents’ concerns about the fields’ demands potentially clashing with traditional female roles. “They [have] preconceived notions of Stem roles as laborious, and not refined, which they don’t want for their daughters’ jobs and careers,” she expounds, advocating for a cultural shift to broaden awareness of Stem careers and bolster support at home for females keen in them.
“It’ll take time for things to change,” Tan allows, “but we’re here for the long haul. It’s not just women fighting the good fight. Having male allies at every step of the way makes a difference. Between the men who are supportive and the women who are prepared to step up, I think there’s a brighter future ahead.”
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Nafeesa Saini is the Features Editor at Tatler Singapore, where she shapes long-form stories on culture, business, philanthropy, wellness, and the people driving change in Asia. With a deep interest in storytelling that intersects meaningfully with identity and impact, she has profiled a diverse range of visionaries, from scientific pioneers in AI and health to creative trailblazers and literary minds.
Nafeesa’s writing includes cover stories and profiles that spotlight influential voices, alongside commentary on the trends reshaping our world.
Off the clock, Nafeesa unwinds with fiction, a good thrift hunt, and ‘brainrot’ TikTok scroll—while always keeping one eye on her next cultural getaway, usually to Indonesia.
