March is Women’s History Month, and 8 March is International Women’s Day. To honour the occasion and the many inspirational women in Singapore, HerCampus @ Nanyang Tech is featuring several inspirational women from diverse backgrounds.Â
We approached Women Unbounded, or WU, a Singapore-based volunteer community that seeks to facilitate friendships and mentorships between women. Their mission aligns very closely with what we believe in and do at HerCampus. Zee Hsin Min (she/hers), as she prefers to be addressed, is definitely a force to be reckoned with. At just 24, Hsin not only juggles her full-time job as an associate at Shopee, but is also the director of WU and one of its founders.
As we turn our attention to women this month, we got Hsin to share some of her thoughts on what the past year has meant for women and the feminist cause in Singapore.
Firstly, we got personal and had Hsin share with us what feminism means to her.
To start off this interview, perhaps a simple question: What does “Empowered Women, Empower Women” mean to you?
It captures the spirit of feminism. Women seek to uplift one another, and in doing so empower others with the knowledge, resources, and/or privileges that enable the empowerment of many more. The process of empowerment can be delightfully infectious.
Has there been any inspiring role models for you?
Growing up, I was always inspired by the women in my family. Throughout my formative years, I was extremely fortunate to grow up in an environment where women encouraged their children to think beyond restrictive gender-based social norms and expectations. Witnessing the independence of these women, not just materially but also intellectually, gave me the bravery to be my own person, regardless of where I found myself in life.
Was this role model instrumental in your efforts to start WU, perhaps you could share with us the original impetus for creating such a community.
I think that being raised this way (to think independently and to do so with confidence) nurtured my entrepreneurial spirit. It taught me to ask, what more can be done? When I reflected on this question in the context of women’s empowerment in Singapore, I saw the need for more open discourse, accessible mentorship, and mutual aid. Thus I founded WU with the aim of addressing these gaps in positively enabling women In particular focusing on giving women opportunities to contribute to closing these gaps even on a part-time basis — an opportunity I feel is hard to come by in Singapore.
We then moved on and touched on how and what more we can do to ensure that there are more vertical and horizontal collaborations between communities in Singapore.
How do you view WU’s role in empowering women in Singapore?
Apart from closing the aforementioned gaps, I hope that WU can continue to drive the conversation on intersectional feminism in Singapore. Key to this is the belief that identity is complex, and the self consists of a unique mix of multiple identities. This means accepting, and embracing that there is no “right” way to be a woman. We feel this is a particularly important concept to grasp and understand in multicultural and transnational societies like Singapore’s, where there is always a burgeoning expectation of being the “right kind of woman”
On January 10 this year, A bill was introduced to allow married couples to divorce by mutual agreement. Prior to the bill, divorce was only granted on one or more of five facts. What impact will this have for the women on SG, and do you see this as a good move in terms of empowering women?
This is certainly a step in the right direction, lightening the heavy, and often unbearable emotional burdens of executing a divorce. Women should have the right and autonomy to cast decisions for themselves without having the need to prove or justify their decisions.
What is something urgent that needs to be addressed in Singapore with regards to women’s empowerment?
More needs to be done with regards to changing the attitudes and perceptions of women in Singapore. I would like to see wide-reaching education on consent, bias and discrimination. Real change starts with a change in beliefs. When we are able to shift away from the tendencies to victim-shame, stereotype and more, pushing for structural changes becomes much easier.Â
Lastly, we closed the interview by having Hsin share her thoughts on how we can move forward as we head into another year.
Moving on, perhaps one of the more pertinent questions would be to ask how can we as men, be better allies for women?
The best allies are those who lead with empathy, and keep themselves open to learn. This applies to allies of any community! Accepting their position as an outsider, allies who lead with empathy seek to listen and understand, and in doing so they know how best to help.Â
Lastly, where do you see yourself in a year from now, and what do you hope to achieve?
I am blessed with a team of brilliant and driven leaders. With their help, in a year from now, I hope to grow WU into a larger and more widely recognised female-oriented community that aims to empower other women. We have plans to impact the lives of hundreds more women, and every day we meet more empowered women who volunteer with us with the hope of making a positive difference. This general tendency for women to pay it forward is inspiring and touching, and it makes me very hopeful about the future of women in Singapore.
Finally, HerCampus would like to thank Hsin for taking the time to share with us her insights. We really appreciate it and Happy International Women’s Day!