Commentary: Singapore goes big on parental leave. Now for fathers and employers to step up

OPTIMISM FOR CHANGE

Still, there is reason for optimism.

How parents deal with their job and caregiving obligations has changed as a result of a similar shared parental leave scheme that was introduced in the UK. Moms who took the left frequently transition from traditional “breadwinner” functions to more engaged caregiving ones, which results in a more evenly distributed load on domestic responsibilities.

It also sparked and lasted long conversations about work and care, highlighting the potential for these plans to change societal objectives where open debate and shared obligations in families are the norm.

In Sweden, “daddy restrictions” marked a pivotal time in parental leave plan. It began by granting parents a 30-day leave of absence that would be lost if left unnecessarily.

The fathers who took any parental leave rose from 44 % to 77 % after the introduction of this policy, which highlights the success of the quota in promoting gender equality. Since then, this limit has been increased to 90 times.

Closer to home, Japan, usually steeped in profoundly rooted gender roles, has even made notable achievements. The share of fathers taking childcare leave has increased significantly from 17 % in 2022 to 30 % in 2023 after extensive public awareness campaigns and system changes.

Societal norms are not eternal, they can be reshaped with dedication, friendly policies, and a shared commitment to alter.

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Thailand “reaffirms” pledge to LGBTQIA2S+

The Love Pride Parade 2024 is hosted in the Pride Month in June. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
The Pride Month of June is when the Love Pride Parade 2024 is held. ( Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

Thailand reaffirms its commitment to protecting LGBTQIA2S right by demonstrating its eagerness to submit an application for the 2025 InterPride World Conference, with goals of hosting WorldPride in 2030.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB ) organized the event” Unity in Action: Thailand’s Next Steps in Equality” on Tuesday to honor the landmark passage of the Marriage Equality Bill and affirm the government’s commitment to advancing gender equality in the nation.

In a keynote address titled” Towards Equality and Unity: Announcing Thailand’s Progress in Marriage Equality Legislation and Ready to Host WorldPride,” former prime minister Srettha Thavisin claimed the government’s goals are to long-term advance gender equality and ensure an inclusive culture for Thai LGBTQIA2S folks and people all over the world.

However, the government is bolstering the hospitality industry to support this plan. Through the creation of the Asia Pride Alliance, which encourages local partnership for LGBTQIA2S rights, the government wants to repeat its dedication to creating corporate partnerships across Asia, he said.

Thailand, he continued, wants to advance the LGBTQIA2S plan and support the pleasure community both regionally and globally.

He said Thailand did consider Phuket as the host city for the InterPride World Conference in 2025, adding this request shows the strong cooperation between individuals, communities, and the government, and marks a major step towards the” Road to WorldPride 2030″ plan.

Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, the TCEB senator, said Thailand has upheld the right of its Pleasure area.

Through engagement with InterPride member organizations and allied organizations, the state is empowering communities at the local level.

Locally, it is positioning the nation as a leader in Asia’s press for sex equality and diversity.

By highlighting its pride-friendly services and continuing efforts to develop diversity, it is promoting Thailand as a safe and welcoming place for worldwide events on a global scale.

” We are pleased to announce that we are prepared to submit an application for the 2025 InterPride World Conference. Moreover, we aspire to sponsor WorldPride in 2030.

” This marks a major milestone in our quest to becoming a worldwide LGBTQIA2S place and a hero of variety, “he added.

LGBTQIA2S stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transgender, gay and questioning, transgender, heterosexual or agender, and two-spirit.

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Thailand “reaffirms” pledge to LGBTQ+

The Love Pride Parade 2024 is hosted in the Pride Month in June. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
In June, the Pride Month is the time for the Love Pride Parade 2024. ( Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

Thailand reaffirms its commitment to protecting LGBTQ right by demonstrating its eagerness to submit an application for the 2025 InterPride World Conference, with goals of hosting WorldPride in 2030.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB ) organized the event” Unity in Action: Thailand’s Next Steps in Equality” on Tuesday to honor the landmark passage of the Marriage Equality Bill and affirm the government’s commitment to advancing gender equality in the nation.

Former prime minister Srettha Thavisin delivered a presentation address titled” Towards Equality and Unity: Announcing Thailand’s Progress in Marriage Equality Legislation and Ready to Host WorldPride,” in which he claimed the government aims to foster gender equality over the long term and ensure an equitable society for Thai LGBTQ people and individuals everywhere.

However, the government is bolstering the hospitality industry to support this plan. Through the creation of the Asia Pride Alliance, which encourages local partnership for LGBTQ rights, the government wants to repeat its dedication to creating corporate partnerships across Asia, he said.

Thailand aims to expand the LGBTQ plan and support the satisfaction community at both the local and global levels, he continued.

He said Thailand did consider Phuket as the host city for the InterPride World Conference in 2025, adding this request shows the strong cooperation between individuals, communities, and the government, and marks a major step towards the” Road to WorldPride 2030″ plan.

Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, the TCEB senator, said Thailand has upheld the right of its Pleasure area.

Through engagement with InterPride member organizations and allied organizations, the state is empowering communities at the local level.

Locally, it is positioning the nation as a leader in Asia’s press for sex equality and diversity.

By highlighting its pride-friendly services and continuing efforts to develop diversity, it is promoting Thailand as a safe and welcoming place for worldwide events on a global scale.

” We are pleased to announce that we are prepared to submit an application for the 2025 InterPride World Conference. Also, we aspire to sponsor WorldPride in 2030.

” This marks a major milestone in our quest to becoming a worldwide LGBTQ place and a hero of variety, “he added.

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Africa’s population boom: challenges, opportunities – Asia Times

Africa’s population may continue to rise swiftly over the next few decades, mainly in the Sahel. While this pattern has both perks and downsides, it has a substantial impact on global operations. Specifically, Africa’s demographic increase may be among the factors behind local issues, food vulnerability and unrestrained movement.

The data are emphatic: by 2050, Africa’s entire population may increase to about 2.5 billion, an impressive get compared with 1.36 billion inhabitants in 2023. In less than 80 times, one out of every two children abroad will be African.

The good news is that the higher proportion of people in the workforce benefits American nations and the rest of the world. However, a larger proportion of young people puts added social and security risks and economic burdens on institutions.

The problem is that many African countries may struggle to meet their meal manufacturing goals as a result of the population growth. Nigeria and Ethiopia are currently the top two countries in the world with the highest number of children who are malnourished. Four of the top five are located in Africa right now.

Despite one five of Africa’s people being undernourished, the area is not any closer to achieving the goal of eradicating poverty. On average, African governments allocate just 3.8 % of their budgets to crops, while some have cut their spending in recent years.

Africa: peninsula of hope and melancholy

” Looking at Africa requires diversity and knowledge of living conditions that are fundamentally different from Europe”, Rudolf G. Adam, a security analyst at the Liechtenstein-based GIS, told this writer.

” Africa is giant. The Arabic-Islamic North and the South have a lot of variations. The length between Cairo and Johannesburg is the same as Beijing and Ankara.

” To grasp Africa, both relative and absolute numbers issue, above all the relation to Europe. In 1950, Europe ( excluding Ukraine and Turkey ) had about 400 million people, Africa 100 million. Now, these images read 500 million and 1.000 million. In 2050, they will be 500 million and about 2.500 million. That implies: A relation of 4: 1 is changing into 1: 5 within one decade. Migrant pressure is bound to fall, “he said.

Nigeria will have about 400 million people in 2050, which is more than the US; however, there could be 650 million in 2100, making it the third-most populous nation after China and India, with about 700 per square km, making that number nearly twice as many people as Haiti. Does this create comparable social and political conditions?

” Africa has fantastic success and abject poverty. Money disparity is one of the main problems in many countries”, the professional continued.

” Population development is very unevenly distributed. South Africa, accounting for about 40 % of the productivity of the entire continent, has a shrinking population – a terrible consequence of AIDS ( as has Botswana ). The highest development costs are in countries with weak economy and delicate surroundings, especially in the Sahel zone”, Adam added.

Problems and violence

As of 2023, sub-Saharan Africa was considered to be the world’s violence hotspot, accounting for around 50 % of all victims killed in the previous month. Radical aggressive organizations that are active in the Sahel are getting more powerful, threatening to infect Africa.

Among the most dangerous ones are the Islamic State-Sahel Province, the Islamic State in the West American Province, and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam al Muslimin. The latter was labeled by the Economist in 2022 as the country’s fastest-growing terrorist party.

Although populations are seen as a supplementary issue, aggressive conflict is more likely to result in African countries with faster population growth. According to the UN experts, hunger, thirst, and unemployment create a conducive environment for the growth of criminal organizations.

The selection of kids by terrorists is of particular concern. Children make up more than half of the entire people in each of the nations affected by the Boko Haram attacks.

Unregulated migration

Migration is a significant source of labor, which benefits both the sponsor and the countries of origin. The latter benefit financially as foreign workers help to fill workers gaps, while the latter profit from remittances sent by immigrants.

In the meantime, despite all the drawbacks, movement can cause significant hazards. The number of illegal African refugees has been steadily rising in recent years, according to the Africa Center record.

The majority of refugees are one, young Africans who are primarily moving to urban areas on the continent. However, a part of these choose Europe and the Middle East as sites. According to the 2024 World Migration Report, there have been more than two more Africans residing outside the region since 1990, with Europe witnessing the biggest improve.

What to do

The universe is aware of the problem, and some powerful efforts are now live. West African nations established the Ouagadougou Partnership ( OP) in 2011 to advance family planning. 1.18 million more African girls have used contemporary contraception in the last ten years thanks to the OP work.

Women’s autonomy and gender equality are another appealing field of work. This approach kills two birds with one rock, which is what makes it so intriguing. On the one hand, a greater number of educated working women refers to the country’s economic growth, on the other, compelled women usually have fewer children.

According to Adam, “if the developed world wants American countries to foliage and to stop an always rising and excessive exodus, it will need to get more engaged directly to create green, interesting perspectives for the idealistic to stay and to build a better future for themselves and for their countries.” ” At the moment, Africa is still looked upon as a cheap reservoir from which to meet outside demands: food, minerals, energy, and qualified personnel ( doctors )”.

” Better birth control may be a key to wealth and social stability”, the professional noted. ” For Europe, the future of the Sahel area will be important. At the moment, Russia and China seem to be gaining a hold it. Africa deserves more attention. It is great time to give it more prominence worldwide. That requires, above all, looking at the globe with a separating eye”.

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Island picked for Pride bid

Island picked for Pride bid

In a bid to host the 2025 InterPride World Conference, Thailand has chosen Phuket as its representative.

In a conference titled” Town Hall: Nationwide Pride Episode 2,” the area state defeated Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen, both of which had different chances.

It was a gathering of Thailand-based Pride organizers organized by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB ) and the Foundation for SOGI ( sexual orientation and gender identity ) Rights and Justice.

Phuket may be chosen for the October edition of the InterPride World Conference in Columbia.

The five-day InterPride World Conference is held annually. Around 600 Pleasure organizations from 70 nations come to the event to talk about the state of the LGBTQ movement and talk about their experience achieving gender equality.

Since 1982, the meeting has been held. The majority of the locations were in North America and Europe.

According to TCEB President Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, if Thailand is chosen as the next location, it will be the first moment the conference will be held in Asia.

Sophon Suwannarat, the governor of Phuket, recently claimed that the area received a significant amount of money from two occasions held during Pride Month in June. LGBTQ guests are considered a group of superior tourists with large saving power, he said.

WorldPride in 2030 is another occasion the state wants Thailand to network.

It is among the most important occasions for LGBTQ worldwide, hosted by InterPride, said Mr Chiruit. It is anticipated to draw a sizable crowd of people who did invest a lot of money in Thailand.

According to Mr. Chiruit, the Australian WorldPride function last year attracted about 1 million members and generated a sizable income for the region.

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Phuket bids for 2025 InterPride

Phuket bids for 2025 InterPride
People took part in the Phuket Pride Month celebration next month. ( Photo: Achathaya Chuenniran )

Officials in Phuket claim that the area is then prepared to compete for the 2025 InterPride World Conference.

On Wednesday, Governor Sophon Suwannarat led the signing ceremony of the Pride & Equality Phuket memorandum of understanding ( MoU), which was attended by representatives from both the public and private sectors of the island.

According to Mr Sophon, the MoU emphasizes raising awareness about sex diversity, providing security to people in the LGBTQ society, and reducing sex discrimination on the island.

Mr. Sophon even mentioned that Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen are preparing to contend for the province’s position as the host nation for the upcoming InterPride World Conference.

The InterPride World Conference is a five-day yearly event that draws between 700 and 800 members from 70 nations. The event aims to talk about the state of LGBTQ actions and talk about achieving gender equality. The state is anticipated to make up to 1.1 billion ringgit from the event.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the government’s firm, is expected to choose the municipal power, according to Mr. Sophon, because the state is prepared to sponsor gender-inclusive activities.

The celebration held during Pride Month showcased the preparation of the occasion company, using the two Pride activities on June 9 and 29 as perfect cases, he said.

Additionally, the events provided a significant revenue for the island because LGBTQ visitors are viewed as high-quality tourists with higher spending power, according to Mr. Sophon.

” We hope Phuket may be chosen on July 11″, said Mr Sophon.

Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, said that the Pride &amp, Equality Phuket MoU demonstrated the region’s readiness to host the InterPride World Conference second time. The event may help improve the region’s market, he added.

Both Pride activities on the island exhibited strategic commitments from the local community and related sectors, according to Federation of Andaman Region Industries chair Chernporn Kanjanasaya.

Anupab Vejwanichsanong, vice president of the Provincial Administration Organisation ( PAO ) of Phuket, voiced the PAO’s support for organising the international conference.

Since 1982, there has n’t been a single InterPride World Conference. The majority of the sponsoring locations were in North America and Europe, with nobody in Asia. It will be the first time the meeting is held in Asia, if Thailand is chosen as the next host country for the 2018 convention in Colombia in October, according to TCEB.

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South Korean politician links rising male suicides to women

After blaming the increase in male suicides on the extremely “dominant” role that women play in society, a legislator in South Korea is facing criticism for making risky and unsupported remarks.

Kim Ki-duck, the council for Seoul City, claimed in a statement that women’s increased employment over the years had made it more difficult for men to get women who wanted to marry them.

He claimed that the country had just “begun to transform into a society dominated by women” and that this might “partly account for an increase in adult suicide attempts.”

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among the richest nations in the world and has the worst gender equality information.

The remarks made by Councillor Kim have received criticism for being the most recent in a line of out-of-touch statements made by female politicians.

Councillor Kim of the Democrat Party came to his conclusion after analyzing data on the number of attempted suicides along Seoul’s Han valley.

The report, published on the city council’s official website, showed that the number of suicide attempts along the river had risen from 430 in 2018 to 1, 035 in 2023, and of those trying to take their lives the proportion who were men had climbed from 67 % to 77 %.

Experts in the field of suicide prevention are concerned about Mr. Kim’s statement.

” It is harmful and unwise to make statements like this without sufficient evidence”, Song Han, a mental health teacher at Seoul’s Yonsei University, told the BBC.

He noted that more people perished than women on a global scale. In many countries, including the UK, death is the biggest killer of people under 50.

Even so, Prof. Song said it was “very unfortunate” that the council had made the report about gender conflict and that the causes of the sharp increase in men attempting death in Seoul needed to be medically studied.

There is a significant gap between the number of men and women working full-time in South Korea, with women disproportionately having momentary or part-time tasks. The gender pay gap is slowly narrowing, but also women are paid on regular 29 % less than men.

In recent years, a growing anti-feminist activity has emerged, led by angry young men who claim they have been unfairly disadvantaged by efforts to make improvements to children’s life.

Appearing to echo such sights, Councillor Kim’s report concluded that the way to conquer” the female-domination trend” was to increase people’s knowledge of gender equality but that “men and women may enjoy similar opportunities”.

Koreans took to the social media platform X to reject the mayor’s remarks as “unsubstantiated” and “misogynistic”, with one person questioning whether they were living in a horizontal world.

The justice group accused the council of “easily shifting the blame to girls in Asian culture who are struggling to escape female discrimination.” He has been instructed to “properly analyze” the causes of the problem and retract his remarks.

Councillor Kim stated when the BBC inquired about comment that he had” not intended to be critical of the female-dominated society” and that he was merely providing his personal opinion about some of its effects.

However, his comments come in response to a number of unscientific and occasionally bizarre political proposals that aim to address some of South Korea’s most pressing social issues, including gender violence, and the country’s lowest birth rate in the world.

Another Seoul councillor in his 60s published a number of articles on the authority’s website last month encouraging young women to engage in pelvic floor gymnastics and pelvic floor exercises to increase the birth rate.

A government think tank at the same time suggested that girls start school earlier than boys so that classmates would become more attracted to one another by the time their unions were complete.

” Such comments encapsulate just how pervasive misogyny is in South Korea”, said Yuri Kim, director of the Korean Women’s Trade Union. She claimed that politicians and policymakers did n’t even try to understand the difficulties women faced and instead preferred to use them as scapegoats.

She told the BBC,” Blaming women for entering the workforce will only only increase the social imbalances.”

Currently women account for 20 % of South Korea’s members of parliament, and 29 % of all local councillors.

Seoul City Council informed the BBC that there was no way to check political content published on its official website unless it was against the law. It stated that individuals were solely liable for their content and that they would be subject to consequences at the following election.

Hosu Lee and Leehyun Choi provided additional reporting.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by issues in this article, the following resources may help:

In the UK: BBC Action Line

Elsewhere in the world: Befrienders Worldwide

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Riding the ‘rainbow’ economic wave? Thailand chases business, talent opportunities from same-sex marriage bill

TOP TALENT AND EQUAL TREATMENT

Taking the necessary steps to pass this new policy will boost Thailand’s reputation and provide worldwide businesses that need to prioritize diversity and inclusion the certainty and confidence to invest in Thailand, according to Mr. Sears. &nbsp,

Making the law change today will start a network of new skill and economic chance, as well as making existing workplaces more successful, he added.

This is important as companies consider where they want to grow and where they can deliver best talent.

” Companies have focused on diversity inclusion for 25 years, not because of the moral case, but because they know that it’s delivered them innovation and talent, and that has n’t gone away, “he said.

The canaries in a coal mine for a wider culture or society is “LGBT people.” But what you do to treat an unknown, generally smaller minority that is persecuted worldwide, sends a message to how you treat all people.”

He cited reports from the US-based Williams Institute that showed a rise in a range of financial factors when same-sex marriage was legalized and workplaces healthier reflected the richness of society.

Every one economic indicator that you could think of was optimistic. All of those things will be correct for Thailand now that they’re doing this, especially from a skills interest perspective, from an technology perspective, “he said.

When the LGBTIQ members of a work are excluded from full cooperation, discriminated against or denied advertising opportunities, obviously the productivity of those companies was less than ideal, he explained.

Before this, the rules had not kept up with prevailing group views. According to a survey conducted in June by North Bangkok University, 82.5 % of respondents voted in favor of the government’s effort to implement marriage equality.

However, there are still deficiencies in defense for LGBTIQ staff in Thailand’s business environment. &nbsp,

Despite the public’s desire for more equitable laws and regulations, the nation has previously encountered difficulties passing legal protections. A United Nations record in 2019 entitled” Tolerance but no Inclusion “documented the” frequent experience of stigma and discrimination, violence and isolation “faced by the society.

It found most LGBT respondents perceived stigma and reported experiencing at least one form of discrimination, which may limit employment opportunities. Less than half of respondents had heard of Thailand’s Gender Equality Act, which was passed in 2015 to protect individuals from gender- based discrimination.

According to the report, 32 % of transgender women and 10 % of LGBT people reported discrimination at their current or most recent jobs.

The marriage equality bill wo n’t address those issues, but it could help maintain momentum already in place in the corporate sector to promote diversity and fairness, according to Mr. Jhitsayarat Siripai, an assistant professor in gender and the media at Rajamangala University of Technology.

According to Mr. Jhitsayarat, the state has been slower in this area, and the private sector has already shown to be proactive in promoting products like same-sex couple health insurance.

We have seen a lot of the private sector in Thailand begin to support equality in the workplace and acknowledge and respect LGBT people, he said.

Following this, I want to see labor laws that recognize LGBT people in terms of their health and well-being because they still face racism, violence, discrimination, and a lack of opportunities to be promoted.

Both experts agreed that Thai businesses and governments must strike a balance between acting in favor of society’s interests and pragmatism in the face of potential business opportunities.

Numerous businesses were eager to align their brands with the cause of Bangkok Pride, a month-long celebration of LGBTIQ culture and community that is celebrated around the world in June. Japan Airlines, EVMe and Agoda were among the official sponsors of events.

They want to entice the younger generation who has the potential to bring in money for their business because of it. So that’s why it’s a win- win situation, society tick, and also the company tick,” Mr Jhitsayarat said.

Companies should legitimately “appreciate this victory” and take advantage of the advantages to their business while also reviewing their own policies.

However,” Rain washing,” displaying superficial support for the LGBTQ community without taking any actual, real-world action, is a real risk, and businesses should be scrutinized for what they do for their employees for the remaining 11 months of the year, according to Mr. Sears.

” How are they treating their LGBT employees? What are they doing to support the community? What are their policies internally? Do they have non- discrimination? Are they actively promoting LGBT civil rights? If that’s the case, then it’s not rainbow washing, “he said.

Mr. Sears noted that Gen Z, the demographic group born between the late 1990s and 2010, succeeding millennials, are generally showing they care about diversity, inclusion, equality, and the climate and are becoming more prominent as employees in companies.

Governments and businesses that comply with those demands will gain a lot, he said.

Nearly 30 % of Gen Z adults identify as LBTIQ , which is far higher than any other demographic, according to a US study conducted in 2024 by the Public Religion Research Institute. Millennials are the second highest percentage, with 16 %.

According to the National Statistics Office, Gen Z accounted for one-fifth of the population in Thailand in 2019.

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