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The long road to gender equality in southeast Asia

Singapore may soon elect its first female president – but the struggle for gender equality in the region is far from being won.

By Amanda Clarkson
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Singapore presidential candidate Halimah Yacob, in 2012.

Singapore presidential candidate Halimah Yacob, in 2012. Photo: Flickr/e_chaya. Creative Commons (CC by 2.0). Some rights reserved.

This month, Singapore will go to the polls for its next presidential election. According to local reports, it looks likely that the country will elect the lawyer, trade unionist and former speaker in Parliament Halimah Yacob. She would be Singapore’s first female president and the first member of the Malay minority, in the Chinese-dominated state, to hold this office since 1970.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0