Working women face different challenges across life stages: PAP Women’s Wing survey

Early-career women reported burnout, caregivers cited flexible work as helpful workplace support, while only one in 10 experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms felt their workplace was open to discussing support. The survey was conducted by the PAP Women's Wing and NTUC Women and Family.

PAP Women's Wing chairperson, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Sim Ann meeting with community partners from the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH). (Photo: People's Action Party)

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Working women have different health and well-being needs as they move through the various stages of life, from the early stage of their career to menopause, a joint People’s Action Party (PAP) Women's Wing and NTUC Women and Family (NTUC WAF) survey found.

The survey, titled Women Across Life Stages, involved 2,375 working women aged 18 and above, and was conducted online from Aug 3 to 31, 2026.

An NTUC WAF spokesperson told CNA Women that respondents’ ethnicities were not tracked; the demographic breakdown was by age.

The findings fell under three areas: Early-career women; women balancing work with parenting, caregiving and family planning; women experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms.

EARLY CAREER: STRESSED, BUT RELUCTANT TO SPEAK UP

Among 224 early-career respondents, one in four reported that stress, anxiety, burnout or emotional strain affected their work significantly.

The biggest contributors were high pressure to perform well (47 per cent of respondents) and having too much work or working long hours (41 per cent).

When it came to seeking support for their stress, half the respondents said they were comfortable looking for support outside work, but only 21 per cent felt comfortable speaking to their manager or human resources department.

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS WANT FLEXIBILITY

Among 912 working mothers, 61 per cent identified flexible work arrangements , including working from home, as the workplace support that would help them the most. A supportive workplace culture came next (46 per cent), followed closely by having flexible start and end times (43 per cent).

Among the 819 respondents who cared for an elderly parent, family member or dependent adult, the need for flexibility came up top – 68 per cent said flexible work arrangements would help reduce caregiving strain. The women also wanted more understanding supervisors and managers (44 per cent) and a supportive workplace culture (43 per cent).

The survey also examined the needs of new mothers. Among 147 respondents who were returning to work while still breastfeeding or pumping, 51 per cent wanted sufficient time to pump at work, 50 per cent wanted a private space at work to do so, while 42 per cent cited flexible work arrangements as valuable support.

Caregivers cited flexible work arrangements as a key form of support at work. (Photo: iStock/Krisada Tepkulmanont)

“Flexible work arrangements remain important, but women must also feel confident using them without being seen as less committed,” said Yeo Wan Ling, MP for Punggol GRC, NTUC assistant secretary-general and director of NTUC WAF.

“As caregiving becomes more complex, we should also study the role of family-care leave alongside flexible work arrangements.”

Among 271 respondents considering whether to start a family or have more children, 41 per cent cited the cost of raising children as a concern, followed by long working hours or workload (34 per cent) and housing or financial readiness (31 per cent).

PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE: FATIGUE, POOR SLEEP, LITTLE WORKPLACE OPENNESS

Among 288 respondents experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms, 61 per cent indicated that low energy and fatigue had the greatest impact on their work or well-being, followed by poor sleep (50 per cent).

Despite these challenges, only one in 10 felt their workplace was open to discussing support for perimenopause or menopause.

In response to the survey findings, PAP Women’s Wing is working with community partners such as the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore to organise workshops covering women’s health and well-being, including mental health, fertility, perimenopause and menopause.

PAP Women’s Wing will also work with NTUC WAF to encourage employers to better support women’s health and caregiving needs, including through flexible work arrangements.

Additionally, PAP mental health ambassadors – volunteers across the party’s branch offices in Singapore to promote mental well-being – will be trained to tackle mental health issues in women.

Marymount SMC MP Gan Siow Huang, who is also Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry and adviser to the Women’s Wing research group, added: “Women should not have to struggle in silence or compromise their well-being to succeed at work.

“Employers, managers and co-workers can take action to create workplaces that are more flexible, inclusive and responsive to women’s needs while fostering a supportive workplace culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive.”

CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg .

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职场新人普遍反映存在职业倦怠，照顾者则认为灵活的工作安排对职场支持大有裨益，而仅有十分之一经历围绝经期或更年期症状的女性认为其工作场所愿意讨论相关支持问题。该调查由人民行动党妇女组和全国职工总会妇女及家庭部联合开展。

人民行动党妇女团主席、内政部兼外交部高级政务部长、荷兰-武吉知马集选区议员沈颖会见了新加坡心理健康协会（SAMH）的社区伙伴。（图片：人民行动党）

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人民行动党妇女团和全国职工总会妇女及家庭协会联合进行的一项调查发现，职业女性在人生的不同阶段，从职业生涯初期到更年期，她们的健康和福祉需求各不相同。

这项名为“女性人生阶段调查”的调查涉及 2375 名 18 岁及以上的职业女性，调查于 2026 年 8 月 3 日至 31 日在线进行。

全国职工总会妇女援助基金会发言人告诉 CNA Women，受访者的种族信息并未被追踪；人口统计数据是按年龄划分的。

研究结果分为三个方面：职业生涯早期的女性；兼顾工作、育儿、照顾家庭和计划生育的女性；经历围绝经期或更年期症状的女性。

职业生涯早期：压力巨大，但不愿开口说话

在 224 名职业生涯初期的受访者中，四分之一的人表示压力、焦虑、倦怠或情绪紧张对他们的工作产生了重大影响。

造成这种情况的最大原因是业绩压力过大（47% 的受访者）以及工作量过大或工作时间过长（41%）。

在寻求缓解压力方面的支持时，一半的受访者表示他们乐于在工作之外寻求支持，但只有 21% 的人觉得可以放心地与他们的经理或人力资源部门交谈。

家长和监护人希望有灵活性

在912名职场妈妈中，61%的人认为灵活的工作安排（包括居家办公）对她们的职场支持最有帮助。其次是支持性的职场文化（46%），紧随其后的是灵活的上下班时间（43%）。

在819名需要照顾年迈父母、家庭成员或受抚养成年人的受访者中，灵活性的需求最为迫切——68%的人表示灵活的工作安排有助于减轻照护压力。此外，女性受访者还希望得到更多理解她们的上司和经理的帮助（44%），以及一个支持性的工作场所文化（43%）。

该调查还考察了新妈妈们的需求。在147名仍在哺乳或吸奶后重返工作岗位的受访者中，51%的人希望在工作中有充足的时间吸奶，50%的人希望在工作中拥有一个私密的吸奶空间，而42%的人认为灵活的工作安排是宝贵的支持。

照顾者们认为灵活的工作安排是工作中重要的支持形式。（图片：iStock/Krisada Tepkulmanont）

“灵活的工作安排仍然很重要，但女性也必须有信心使用这些安排，而不会被视为不够敬业，”榜鹅集选区议员、全国职工总会助理秘书长兼全国职工总会女性员工联合会主任杨婉玲表示。

“随着照护工作变得越来越复杂，我们也应该研究家庭照护假以及灵活工作安排的作用。”

在 271 名考虑是否组建家庭或生育更多子女的受访者中，41% 的人表示抚养子女的成本是一个令人担忧的问题，其次是工作时间长或工作量大（34%）以及住房或经济准备不足（31%）。

围绝经期和绝经期：疲劳、睡眠质量差、工作场所开放度低

在 288 名经历围绝经期或绝经期症状的受访者中，61% 的人表示精力不足和疲劳对他们的工作或健康影响最大，其次是睡眠质量差（50%）。

尽管面临这些挑战，但只有十分之一的人认为他们的工作场所愿意讨论对围绝经期或绝经期的支持。

针对调查结果，人民行动党妇女团正与新加坡妇产科学会等社区伙伴合作，组织研讨会，内容涵盖女性健康和福祉，包括心理健康、生育能力、围绝经期和更年期。

人民行动党妇女团还将与全国职工总会妇女援助基金会合作，鼓励雇主更好地支持妇女的健康和照护需求，包括通过灵活的工作安排。

此外，人民行动党心理健康大使（遍布新加坡各支部办公室的志愿者，旨在促进心理健康）将接受培训，以解决女性的心理健康问题。

玛丽蒙单选区议员颜晓芳（同时也是外交及贸易工业部政务部长和妇女翼研究小组顾问）补充道：“女性不应该为了在工作中取得成功而默默挣扎或损害自身福祉。

“雇主、经理和同事可以采取行动，创造更加灵活、包容和响应女性需求的职场环境，同时营造支持性的职场文化，让每个人都感到被重视并有能力蓬勃发展。”

CNA Women是CNA Lifestyle旗下的一个版块，旨在为现代女性提供信息、赋能和灵感。如果您有与女性相关的新闻、议题或想法想要与我们分享，请发送电子邮件至CNAWomen[at]mediacorp.com.sg。

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