Member-only story
A few months ago, I expressed my support for #CelebratingSGWomen by sharing my experience leading Our Army’s first two female infantry soldiers. I have since received quite a few private messages extolling the need for affirmative action to right the wrong.
I responded by saying that I believe the call for gender (and all forms of) equality is rooted in the belief in meritocracy — a system in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit. And, to me, the concept of addressing gender inequality is complex, and that there are no simple, or fast track, solutions.
In my view, the inequality in today’s society is the result of decades of societal beliefs and norms. Rightly or wrongly, there was a belief that men and women had different roles in society. This resulted in many women avoiding certain professions. As such, the number of women in these professions, and in senior positions, today are correspondingly lesser.
While outdated stereotypes have been broken and we are now woke, I believe it will take some time for gender equality to catch up. While affirmative action is one option, it is not without its challenges as the US experience shows. Personally, I am not in favor of affirmative action, as I feel that even the perception that someone was promoted for…
