Women in Asia have come a long way. In the tech sector alone, there are women who have inspired us and changed the way we live.

We can thank the women in accelerator programmes and those running social entrepreneur platforms for new products continuously rolled out across the region.

We can thank Ms Lim Qing Ru, who paid herself a meagre $410 a month for two years in order to build Zopim, which allows us to easily chat real-time with e-commerce sites.

And the explosion of cab hailing apps in this region is due in part to female entrepreneur Tan Hooi Ling.

Read also: Why more women are needed in the workplace

We are seeing women rise through the ranks in business, technology and government. There is no better time to be a woman in Asia than now.

Women here are now safer, more prosperous and afforded more opportunities than before.

But “before” did not set the bar very high. Despite the accomplishments of women leaders in this region, Asian women still face great challenges.

Read also: S’pore ranked 5th best place for women entrepreneurs

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), they continue to, on average, earn 30 per cent to 40 per cent less than men.

Euromonitor said Asian women could earn up to 41.2 per cent less than men by 2030 – higher than global estimates of 35.7 per cent – and Asia might be the only region in the world with deteriorating gender income inequality for this period.

According to the World Economic Forum, more than a quarter of a billion women have entered the labour force in the past 10 years – the total up from 1.5 billion to 1.75 billion worldwide.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 of the United Nations 2030 global agenda sets out to achieve gender equality and female empowerment.

Read also: Air India first to introduce women-only seats on planes

The achievement of SDG 5 requires the use of information and communications technology (ICT).

SDG 10 – reducing inequalities – connects, in equal measure, to the active inclusion of women and girls in education, social and economic spheres.

It is an inclusion ICT effectively drives.

Asia loses between US$16 billion (S$22.6 billion) and US$30 billion annually as a result of gender gaps in education and employment.

According to the International Labour Organisation and ADB, the region reportedly loses between US$42 billion and US$47 billion annually due to women’s limited access to employment opportunities.

Eliminating gender disparity in the region would increase per capita income for all by 70 per cent in roughly 60 years, and that is something everyone should be able to get behind.

POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

Throughout my career in sustainability and working for a company with six major Asian markets that have made enormous progress in the last decade, I can attest to the inclusive power of technology.

I witnessed financial services offered to millions of Pakistani women for the first time through Easypaisa, the country’s first mobile banking programme.

I have seen education made possible for women and children through programmes such as telco Dtac’s Best Start Program as well as Grameenphone and Jaago Foundation’s Online Schools in Bangladesh, which connect teachers with remote communities via the Internet.

And younger women are using technology to their advantage – Malaysian film-maker Nora Nabila’s Young Changemakers project uses film to give the marginalised communities a voice.

Her peer, Ms Christine Cheah, had an idea for a cancer screening application, which has since been taken commercially across Malaysia.

Pakistani social entrepreneur Mehroze Munawar leverages data science to drive digital literacy programmes to help Pakistani youth better access online opportunities.

A major 2016 report by KPMG found that communications technology promotes entrepreneurial activity of women, improving business practices and overcoming gender barriers.

This is corroborated by two-thirds of working women, who reported that having a mobile device would give them greater access to business and employment opportunities.

The Internet’s ability to enable access and reduce cost barriers for such young female pioneers is essential in a world where remuneration inequalities still exist.

With the right knowledge, a world of opportunity – of female-empowered initiatives and gender-neutral marketplaces – is at their fingertips, where outputs are judged solely on quality and void of predisposed discrimination.

The issue of female empowerment has never been more relevant in Asia, particularly in South-east Asia.

As the world’s fastest growing Internet market – adding 3.8 million new users a month – the creation and growth of digital economies and women’s empowerment should go hand-in-hand.

Digital innovation has the greatest ability to counteract income equality projections and accelerate inclusion. It is a virtuous circle that feeds itself as it brings more women and disenfranchised people into the fold.

We have the ability to rewrite society’s gender code now.

I sleep better at night knowing that whatever path my daughter may choose, the rise of female inclusion through digital innovation around the world will provide more gender-neutral opportunities and mute, if not eliminate, the age-old – and frankly no longer acceptable – narratives of “before”.

The writer is senior vice-president and head of group sustainability at Telenor Group. This article appeared in The Business Times yesterday.

This article was first published on Mar 09, 2017.
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It took four tow trucks and seven men to pull a car stuck on a slope back to safety yesterday morning near Marymount Road.

The silver Volkswagen had crashed into a portion of the fence at the carpark of Marymount Convent School.

Police said they were alerted to the accident just after 7am. The female driver, 38, was conscious when she was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Read also: 8 teens dead after horror JB crash involving car and cyclists

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said the driver sustained soreness in her right shoulder and wrists and dispatched an ambulance and a fire engine to the scene. Marymount Convent School confirmed with The New Paper that the driver is a teacher at the school.

Mr Jim Koh, 30, the owner of GAO Express Towing Services, who was alerted to the accident around 8am, said that based on his eight years of experience, the driver was most likely reversing into a parking lot when she lost control and slid down the slope.

Read also: Toyota ends up on top of another car after accident near Chong Pang Camp

He said: “This case is not common for us, it was tricky because the ground was wet and soft from the morning rain, making it hard to lift the car off the slope.”

Mr Bernard Tay, chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council, said that although most cars require drivers to engage a gear knob before changing from “drive” to “reverse” mode and vice versa, drivers should still check that they do not accidentally engage the wrong gear while parking or driving.

This article was first published on Mar 09, 2017.
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The taxi industry should be allowed to innovate and adapt to new market conditions and competition, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng told Parliament yesterday.

Mr Ng’s comments were a strong hint that taxi companies would soon get the go-ahead to use dynamic pricing as another option for booked trips.

ComfortDelGro, which controls over 60 per cent of cabs here, told the Public Transport Council (PTC) last week of its plan to introduce dynamic, or surge, pricing – similar to that used by third-party car hailing companies Uber and Grab.

Trans-Cab, Premier Taxi and Prime Taxi have also informed the PTC of similar plans.

Read also: Trans-Cab, Premier Taxi plan to use surge pricing

The PTC is in discussion with the taxi companies, said Mr Ng.

Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamed said commuters are now faced with a “double whammy” of fare uncertainty and taxi availability.

Read also: ‘Dynamic fares’ in the works at 4 taxi companies: What you need to know

Pointing out that the Taxi Availability framework, which requires taxi companies to clock a minimum daily mileage, was scraped last year, he asked: “How can the ministry ensure that the public will be adequately served?”

Mr Ng said he understood some commuters’ concerns about dynamic pricing but said they would know exactly how much their fare would be and can choose to accept or decline.

“The taxi companies, I understand, intend to retain the traditional metered fare system even as they introduce dynamic pricing. But ultimately, taxi companies should ensure that dynamic pricing improves, and not worsens the matching of supply to demand,” he said.

Read also: Grab set to provide fixed upfront fares for booking cabs

Transport experts think that surge pricing, which kicks in only when demand is high, will likely push up taxi fares, especially during peak periods.

SIM University economist Walter Theseira said: “Demand would probably be higher during peak periods, where there are currently surcharges.

“While it depends whether taxi companies can comfortably meet demand during these periods, it is unlikely they would want to bring down the current prices.”

He is concerned that elderly people who do not know how to use apps to get a taxi might find it more difficult to hail one on the street.

UniSIM adjunct associate professor Dr Park Byung Joon, a transport expert, also thinks that fares are likely to go up.

He said: “During non-peak periods, private hire cars are only slightly cheaper than taxis, but they can be much more expensive during high demand.

“If you average it out, it would probably be more expensive for taxis using surge pricing.”

Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairman Sitoh Yih Pin said technology had disrupted the industry and provided more options and value for commuters, but he also highlighted the difficulties faced by taxi drivers.

He added: “I do not advocate protectionist policies for our taxis. But in a reasonably short period, three events and their corresponding policies are likely to have repercussions on the livelihoods of taxi drivers.

“They are the entry of private hire cars, the restructuring of diesel tax and the push for automated driverless cars.”

This article was first published on Mar 09, 2017.
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Most of those who spoke to The New Paper were apprehensive about the pricing system and the technology involved.

Mr Chia Chiong Soon, 70, a cabby of 20 years, said: “Why must we make things so complicated? Older people usually drive leisurely, and all we want is for things to remain convenient and easy for us.”

Another cabby, who wanted to be known as Mr Tan, 60, said: “I want to rely on the meter, and I don’t want to have to keep meddling with my phone when I drive.

Read also: Trans-Cab, Premier Taxi plan to use surge pricing

“It’s dangerous and troublesome for me. My phone is old and cannot handle so many applications.”

Others found the dynamic pricing model, which fluctuates based on demand, confusing.

Read also: ‘Dynamic fares’ in the works at 4 taxi companies: What you need to know

A Comfort taxi driver, Mr Chua, 59, felt that surge pricing would be unfavourable to taxis. He said: “If we have the same pricing model as Grab and Uber cars, then who will book our cabs? Commuters will stick with one platform because it’s more convenient for them.

‘PROMOTIONAL CODES’

“Moreover, Grab and Uber have promotional codes that could lower the price.”

Another Comfort cabby, Mr Tan Tai Heng, 62, also prefers to stick to the meter.

Read also: Grab set to provide fixed upfront fares for booking cabs

He said: “I don’t know how low-surge prices will go during non-peak periods. The meter pricing takes into account traffic jams and delays, so we may earn more.”

However, Mr Mahmood Abdullah, 66, said surge pricing may help taxi drivers remain competitive.

“If we have the same pricing as Uber and Grab, then maybe we won’t lose out on customers. They may also choose us because now we can all charge the same.”

This article was first published on Mar 09, 2017.
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