Gender diversity benefits businesses

Concept artwork generated by Google Gemini (Imagen 3) to celebrate International Women's Day.

International Women's Day on March 8 is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to accelerate women's equality. 

New research* released for the day has shown that gender equality remains a key societal issue, with women’s rights under threat due to workplace inequalities and online abuse. The annual study, released by HeForShe, The United Nations Global Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality, and global marketing agency TEAM LEWIS, revealed that public awareness of gender inequality has increased, but geopolitical issues overshadow the issue:

- Over 75% believe companies still need to implement policies for women in the workplace.

- One third of women (32%) have reconsidered their employment due to their company’s in-office policy. Of those, 45% say the reason for reconsidering is inflexibility at work. 

- Only 17% of women received a pay rise in the last year, compared to 24% of men. 

- In leadership, women continue to be under-represented. The percentage of women in senior management roles declined to 53% this year, vs 56% in 2023 and 2024.

"Rights, equality and empowerment remain vital to global prosperity. We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. Equality is everyone’s responsibility. 2025 is the year for men and boys to stand alongside women and girls to help make change happen.” said Vesna Jaric, Global Head of HeForShe, UN Women.

The benefits of gender diversity were championed by industry observers.

Lim Hsin Yin, VP of Sales for ASEAN, Cohesity, has contributed to the community through mentoring initiatives, including as Chairwoman of the SGTech AI Skills and Training Committee and in industry councils. 

She observed: "International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made in fostering gender diversity and to reflect on the work still ahead. With over 30 years in the tech industry, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of diverse perspectives." 

Stephanie Barnett, VP of Presales for the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ), Okta said: "On International Women’s Day, when I reflect on what it means to be a woman in tech I feel both inspired by how far things have come, and feel energised and compelled to do so much more. While progress has been made, sectors like presales, security, and identity still reveal a significant gender gap that has persisted for decades and will continue until we radically and aggressively change and solve for the biases that exist across education, recruitment and workforce inequity.

"Mentorship has had a transformative impact on my career. I’ve been fortunate to have mentors, both men and women, who have offered guidance that goes beyond advice, helping me navigate difficult situations and complex challenges. I feel deeply accountable to pay forward the privilege that I have had in having phenomenal cheerleaders sitting in my blind spots helping me course correct, deeply reflect and charge forward with perspective and support.

"Personally, I believe that fostering diversity in an organisation is not just a checkbox activity and it takes work, takes focus, takes commitment and it may lead to discomfort and potential change management that will be initially uncomfortable, but future and long term looking will significantly accelerate revenue and positive business business results."

Said Remus Lim, Senior VP, Asia Pacific & Japan, Cloudera:  "As we celebrate International Women’s Day, this year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, serves as a call to move beyond conversation and drive real, measurable progress. At Cloudera, we know that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn’t achieved in a single day—it’s a continuous effort that requires commitment, accountability, and the courage to challenge the status quo.

"Creating a truly inclusive workplace isn’t just about policies or programmes—it’s about recognising the talent, ambition, and potential that too often go unseen. Business leaders have a responsibility to not only open doors but to actively support and uplift those who may have been overlooked by traditional hiring and promotion practices."

"I’ve seen firsthand how potential-based hiring and mentorship can change careers—and lives. During the period when I was mentoring a colleague, I realised the importance of approaching issues from different angles when charting out new communication pathways between my mentee and other members of the leadership team. This allowed her to see her ideas to fruition while the organisation benefits from fresh perspectives across functions and levels," added Lim from Cloudera. 

"When we focus on who someone can become, rather than just what they’ve done in the past, we create pathways for talent that may not have had the same access or opportunities. When we do this, our teams grow stronger, our innovation becomes richer, and our workplaces become places where everyone has the chance to thrive."

Verena Siow, President and MD, SAP Southeast Asia, shared that this year's theme for International Women’s Day, Accelerate Action, deeply resonated with her. "To me, this theme reinforces the notion that we must take urgent and proactive actions to drive gender equity and parity. It also aligns with one of my personal mantras: Accelerate to Innovate. Just as businesses must embrace bold, decisive action to drive meaningful innovation, we must do the same to advance gender equity," she said.

"Change is often perceived as a gradual process. But while it is true that change does not take place overnight, every little step we take in accelerating action unlocks new possibilities. In Southeast Asia, I’ve seen firsthand how equipping women with the right skills, access, and support can create extraordinary outcomes."

"Yet, barriers remain. Systemic biases still slow progress, from unequal access to leadership opportunities to deeply ingrained stereotypes. The World Economic Forum estimates that at the current pace, full gender parity will not be achieved for another 134 years — a timeline we cannot accept." 

"Innovation does not happen by waiting. It happens by taking action, challenging norms, and accelerating change. Just as we push the boundaries of technology, we must do the same for equity, opportunity, and leadership. The reality is clear: diversity drives better decisions, stronger businesses, and more resilient economies. The question is no longer “why” we need to act, but how much quicker we can make change happen," Siow concluded.

"The broader challenge of gender equality remains stark. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, achieving full gender parity will take 134 years—roughly five generations—at the current pace of progress. We cannot afford to wait. Governments, businesses, academia, and industry bodies must work together to ensure gender equality is not just a long-term aspiration but an urgent economic and innovation priority," agreed Jess Ng, Country Head, Singapore and Brunei, Fortinet.   

Siow touched on mentorship and leadership as solutions. To truly accelerate progress, three actions are critical, she said:

- Sponsorship over mentorship. Women need not just mentorship but advocates—leaders who actively open doors, champion careers, and create opportunities.

- Equal access to leadership tracks. High-impact projects and decision-making roles must be accessible to women at all levels, ensuring a stronger pipeline for future leadership.

- A redefinition of leadership. Success is not just about traditional leadership traits like aggressiveness; it’s about diverse perspectives, emotional intelligence, and inclusivity. Organisations that embrace this perform better and retain top talent.

Explore

Download the HeForShe research at https://www.teamlewis.com/heforshe/ 

Hashtags: #IWD2025, #AccelerateAction 

*TEAM LEWIS Foundation surveyed the general population aged 18 and above across a balanced and diverse group of ages, races, and gender. A total of 5,003 respondents were polled across 10 countries, including the US, UK, UAE, Australia, China, France, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, and Spain. Localised translations were provided where necessary. Data was collected through an online survey consisting of 55 questions and fielded from February 5 to 14, 2025.

Fatigue with equal rights in Singapore? Ipsos weighs in

Market researcher Ipsos has found that six in 10 Singaporeans (62%) believe that when it comes to giving women equal rights with men in Singapore, things have gone far enough. A breakdown of the data revealed a higher agreement among men (68%) compared to women (55%) on this sentiment.

Source: Ipsos research report: International Women's Day 2024. Respondents voted on the statement "There are actions I can take to help promote equality between men and women". Across a 31-country average, nearly two in three people (64%) agreed there are actions they can take to help promote equality between men and women. Around a quarter of people think there is nothing they can do (23%). There were no meaningful differences by gender.

The insights are from Ipsos' latest global study, carried out in collaboration with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London for International Women’s Day. The survey was conducted among ~24,000 people across 31 countries, which includes ~500 Singaporeans.

Ipsos looked deeper into the results, and found that almost half of Singaporeans (48%) think that we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men. Notably, a significant 57% of Singaporean men echoed this sentiment on discrimination, as opposed to 29% of women.

While most Singaporeans (67%) admit that there are actions that they can take to help promote equality between men and women, there is still a fear among Singaporeans in advocating gender equality with 48% of Singaporeans saying that they are scared to speak out for the equal rights of women because of what might happen to them. In fact, more than half (58%) of Singaporeans agreed that men are being expected to do too much to support equality.

In business, almost two-thirds of Singaporeans think that male and female leaders are equally good at creating a financially successful and innovative company (58% and 60% respectively). Among those with a preference, there is a significant difference between those that think male or female business leaders are better. In both aspects of creating a financially successful company and an innovative one, 16% think males are better, and only 8% think females are better.

Respondents demonstrated a tendency to favour male bosses (36%) over female bosses (10%). However, the majority of respondents (51%) maintained a neutral stance, expressing no particular preference.

Katharine Zhou, Country Manager for Ipsos in Singapore commented: “It's revealing to see a majority believe that women's rights in Singapore have reached an adequate level, yet there is a significant gender difference in these perceptions. The concern expressed by 48% of respondents that the promotion of women’s equality might be discriminating against men is notable and warrants further examination.

"It is also interesting to note the apprehension among Singaporeans about advocating for gender equality. This could be attributed to various sociocultural factors and shows us that while we have made progress, there is still work to be done."

Zhou noted that there is a tendency to associate certain roles and capabilities with specific genders. "This points to a potential unconscious bias in our society," she said. "These findings call for a more comprehensive dialogue on gender equality, one that transcends familiar arguments into an increased appreciation of the nuanced sentiments that are emerging.”

Global findings include:

- Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to think agree that a man who stays home to look after his children is less of a man (25%, 27% respectively) than Gen X (20%) and Baby Boomers (11%). But within the generations there are differences in opinion. There is a 20-percentage point difference between Gen Z men (60%) and Gen Z women (40%) when it comes to thinking women’s equality discriminates against men.

- Two in three (65%) across 31 countries agree that women won’t achieve equality in their country unless men taken actions to support women’s rights too.

- Half (51%) of people across a 30-country average believe men are being expected to do too much to promote equality and fewer than two in five (39%) identify themselves as feminists.

Singapore women largely feel they're paid fairly, and that their employers listen to them

Southeast Asia consumer research company Milieu Insight has conducted a study to understand sentiments about the amount of support, opportunities and rewards women receive at work among women in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Concept art featuring a woman
generated by dream by WOMBO.

Key findings include:

- Slightly more than two thirds (67%) of Singapore women feel that they are fairly remunerated for their work, but only 51% feel that they are rewarded fairly for going above and beyond

- Slightly under two thirds (65%) of Singapore women think that their companies are receptive to their feedback, but only 50% think that they act upon them

- Nearly four in 10 (39%) Singapore women feel that they have to work harder to achieve their goals because of their gender, lower that their counterparts in Indonesia (55%)

Singapore scored lower than counterparts in other countries for the following questions:

- “I am equipped with the resources I need to finish my tasks within working hours.” (Singapore: 79%, Indonesia: 88%, Philippines: 93%)

- “I am rewarded fairly when I go above and beyond my job scope.” (Singapore: 51%, Indonesia: 68%, Philippines: 62%)

- “There is someone at work whom I can celebrate my work achievements with.” (Singapore: 58%, Indonesia: 74%, Philippines: 83%) 

Hashtags: #IWD, #IWD2023, #InternationalWomensDay, #EmbraceEquity

*Based on Milieu Insight surveys with n=500 female employees each from Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, conducted via Milieu Insight's online proprietary panel in February 2023.

Majority of women in Singapore say they are under-represented in leadership roles

Source: Robert Walters white paper. 

Empowering Women In The Workplace, a white paper* from specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters, has found that 75% of women surveyed in Singapore feel that they are inadequately represented in leadership positions. In contrast, 56% of male respondents in Singapore state that they think women have sufficient standing in business-leading roles.

One in five (21%) of the respondents in Singapore agreed that women made up more than 20% of leadership positions in their organisations. However, less than half (45%) believed that there are strong female leaders within their organisations that they can look up to as role models.

Further advocating the need for gender diversity in the workplace, a majority (79%) of women in Singapore cited the presence of a mentor or sponsor at the senior management level as the most helpful driver in empowering them to develop their careers.

Joanne Chua, Account Director of Robert Walters Southeast Asia, comments, “From our interactions with professionals of both genders and observations as market leaders, we noticed that more often, women tend to second-guess their capabilities compared to their male counterparts. This has in turn often limited their progression at the workplace. It is our desire to inspire more females to break out of their comfort zones, challenge the mindsets of society and in some cases, their own mindsets of the role of women in the workplace to fulfill their fullest potential in the workplace.”

Highlights from the survey:

 More than a third (37%) of females in Singapore think their current employer has clear and enforced policies on gender diversity, equality and inclusion 

 Just under half (49%) of women surveyed feel that their organisation is lacking in fair and equal representation of female business leaders 

 When asked to name the top three reasons why women are under-represented, 37% of all respondents in Singapore cited family pressures or commitments outside of work 

 Additionally, 32% believed it is due to a preference by management to promote men over women, and 30% attributed it to a workplace culture that does not actively foster diversity, inclusion and equality

Interested?

Browse the Empowering Women In The Workplace white paper (PDF)

*Empowering Women In The Workplace is based on a survey conducted in January 2016 to better understand existing perceptions of gender diversity across key markets in Asia Pacific. The survey gathered the views of over 4,400 clients and active job seekers across Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Additional interviews and research were collated to complement survey findings.

Philippines, New Zealand and Australia are top three for gender equality in APAC

The global gender gap has barely shrunk in nine years. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2014*, launched today, the gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60% worldwide, having closed by 4% from 56% in 2006 when the World Economic Forum (WEF) first started measuring it. With all else remaining equal, it will take 81 years for the world to close this gap completely, the organisation said.

“Achieving gender equality is obviously necessary for economic reasons. Only those economies who have full access to all their talent will remain competitive and will prosper. But even more important, gender equality is a matter of justice. As humanity, we also have the obligation to ensure a balanced set of values,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF.

The WEF points out that healthy and educated women are likely to have healthier and more educated children, creating a virtuous cycle for any community or country. When the number of women involved in political decision-making reaches a critical mass, their decisions – which take into account the needs of a wider segment of society – lead to more inclusive results. Companies that recruit and retain women, and ensure that they attain leadership positions, outperform those that do not. 

The report, an initiative by the Gender Parity Programme, measures the gender gap in 142 countries, and says it is narrowest in terms of health and survival. "This gap stands at 96% globally, with 35 countries having closed the gap entirely," said the WEF in a statement. Three countries closed the gap in the past 12 months. 

The gap for educational attainment is the next narrowest, at 94% globally, and 25 countries have closed the gap entirely. The gap for political empowerment, meanwhile, is only at 21%, but has seen the most improvement since 2006. 

The WEF notes that the trends are not always positive. Nearly 30% of the countries covered have wider education gaps than they did nine years ago, and over 40% of countries have wider health and survival gaps than they did nine years ago, the organisation said.

In Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines remains the region’s highest-ranked country (no. 9), followed by New Zealand (no. 13) and Australia (no. 24). Only one other nation, Mongolia (no. 42), is in the top 50. Singapore, the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos and Thailand come next in 59th, 60th and 61st place, respectively. Japan has gone up one place to 104th; China has fallen 18 places to 87th, largely due to its very low sex ratio at birth; and India is now the lowest-ranked BRICS nation at 114th. India is also one of the few countries where female labour force participation is shrinking.

In the Middle East and North Africa, Kuwait, at 113rd, is the highest-placed country in the region, after making significant gains in overall income, including for women. The UAE, at 115th, second highest-ranked. It is lower in the rankings but has shown major improvement relative to its past performance on economic and political participation. The lowest-ranked country in the index, Yemen, at 142nd, has remained at the bottom of the index since 2006; but it has significantly improved relative to its own past scores.

“Much of the progress on gender equality over the last 10 years has come from more women entering politics and the workforce. While more women and more men have joined the workforce over the last decade, more women than men entered the labour force in 49 countries. And in the case of politics, globally, there are now 26% more female parliamentarians and 50% more female ministers than nine years ago. These are far-reaching changes – for economies and national cultures, however it is clear that much work still remains to be done, and that the pace of change must in some areas be accelerated, ” said Saadia Zahidi, Head of the Gender Parity Programme at the WEF and lead author of the report.

Key findings for Asia Pacific and the Middle East include:

The most improved country relative to its starting point nine years ago for economic participation and opportunity is Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for political empowerment. In absolute terms, the most improved country is Nepal for educational attainment.

Within the economic participation category, Nepal was one of the countries globally which had the most absolute gain in terms of increased rates of female labour force participation. Kuwait and Singapore have seen the largest absolute gains on women’s income.

The countries with the most losses relative to their past performance are: Jordan on economic participation, and India on health. 

The least-improved countries in absolute terms are: India for health and survival, and Sri Lanka for political empowerment.

Read the full report here. 

*The Global Gender Gap Index ranks 142 countries on the gap between women and men on health, education, economic and political indicators. It aims to understand whether countries are distributing their resources and opportunities equitably between women and men, irrespective of their overall income levels. The report measures the size of the gender inequality gap in four areas:

• Economic participation and opportunity – salaries, participation and leadership
• Education – access to basic and higher levels of education
• Political empowerment – representation in decision-making structures
• Health and survival – life expectancy and sex ratio

Index scores can be interpreted as the percentage of the gap that has been closed between women and men, and allow countries to compare their current performance relative to their past performance. In addition, the rankings allow for comparisons between countries. Thirteen out of the 14 variables used to create the index are from publicly available hard data indicators from international organisations such as the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Health Organization.