Historically, women's involvement in Singapore's political landscape was limited. However, since 1984, there has been a steady rise in female participation, with more women contesting elections across both ruling and opposition parties, as well as taking on key political roles.

History of women in Singaporean politics Singapore has practised universal suffrage from the outset of its democratic elections, unlike countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Early women representatives in the Legislative Council were mostly English-educated and middle-class. As women voters increased from 8 percent to 50 percent in 1955, Chinese-educated women leaders gained prominence. Some, including Linda Chen Mock Hock, were linked to communism and were later suppressed under Lim Yew Hock's anti-communist administration.

In 1959, four female People's Action Party (PAP) candidates, including Chan Choy Siong and Ho Puay Choo, entered the Assembly. Two women later defected to Barisan Sosialis. After Chan's retirement in 1970, there was a 14-year absence of women in parliament. Female representation returned in 1984 with Dixie Tan, Aline Wong, and Yu-Foo Yee Shoon of the PAP. By 1988, four women were in parliament, but numbers dropped after 1991. From 2011, the number of women candidates and MPs steadily grew. The PAP Women's Wing was formed in 1989. In 1992, Kanwaljit Soin became the first female Nominated Member of Parliament, followed by others like Eunice Olsen, Claire Chiang, Braema Mathiaparanam and Yip Pin Xiu.

Female politicians have since held higher office. Grace Fu became the first female Leader of the House in 2015, while Lim Hwee Hua was Singapore’s first female Cabinet minister in 2009, though she lost her seat to the Workers' Party (WP) in 2011. That same election saw the entry of WP's Sylvia Lim as the first elected female opposition MP, and Lina Loh as an NCMP. In 2013, WP's Lee Li Lian became the first female opposition MP to be elected in a SMC, though she lost her seat in 2015, while Halimah Yacob became the first female Speaker and later, in 2017, the first female President. In 2020, Josephine Teo led a PAP team as anchor minister, while WP gained ground with He Ting Ru and Raeesah Khan, the latter being the youngest and first minority opposition MP. Hazel Poa of the Progress Singapore Party became the third female NCMP, though she later lost her seat. In 2025, WP retained its female MPs He and Lim, and added Eileen Chong as the fourth female NCMP.

The table below shows the comparison and number of female candidates who contested over the years since the first post-independence election in 1968, and eventually elected in office:

+ Year Number of female candidates Representation Remarks PAP Opposition Total Seats Percentage 2025 29/32 2/21 31/53 31/97 31.96% Excluding one NCMP. 2020 24/25 3/15 27/40 27/93 29.03% Excluding one NCMP. Two female MPs later resigned from Parliament. 2015 20/20 1/15 21/35 21/89 23.59% 2011 18/20 1/15 19/35 19/87 21.84% Excluding one NCMP, and one MP-elect in a 2013 by-election. 2006 18/18 0/4 18/22 18/84 21.42% Excluding one NCMP. 2001 10/10 0/1 10/11 10/84 11.90% 1997 4/4 0/0 4/4 4/83 4.82% 1991 2/3 0/2 2/5 2/81 2.47% 1988 4/4 0/5 4/9 4/81 4.94% 1984 3/3 0/3 3/6 3/79 3.80% 1980 0/0 0/2 0/2 0/75 0.00% 1976 0/0 0/1 0/1 0/69 0.00% Amnah Kuong Hussein of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) contested in the Geylang Serai Constituency. 1972 0/0 0/1 0/1 0/65 0.00% Normah Yahya of the WP contested in the Changi Constituency. 1968 1/1 0/0 1/1 1/58 1.72% Chan Choy Siong of the PAP contested in the Delta Constituency and was re-elected unopposed; later retired in 1970.

Current women parliamentarians Since the 1990s, the number of women participating in politics has progressively increased, and it hit double digits towards the 3rd millennium and the representation for female MPs increase per every election. There are currently 31 elected women parliamentarians out of a total of 97 elected members. The list of women parliamentarians are listed in alphabetical order by surnames.

Distribution Level Number Names Cabinet Ministers (including second ministers and ministers-in-charge) 4 Grace Fu, Indranee Rajah, Sim Ann, Josephine Teo Senior Ministers of State (including acting cabinet ministers) 3 Jasmin Lau, Low Yen Ling, Sun Xueling Ministers of State 2 Gan Siow Huang, Rahayu Mahzam Senior Parliamentary Secretaries 1 Goh Hanyan District mayors 2 Low Yen Ling, Denise Phua Government backbenchers 18 Opposition parties (excluding Non-constituency MPs or Nominated MPs) 2 He Ting Ru, Sylvia Lim

Elected MPs Name Party Constituency(division) Terms RemarksBishan–Toa Payoh GRC(Bishan East-Sin Ming)1 Tampines GRC(Tampines East)1 Chua Chu Kang GRC(Tengah)1 Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC(Yuhua)5Cabinet Minister (Sustainability and the Environment)Minister-in-charge (Trade Relations)Marymount SMC2Minister of State (Energy, Trade and Industry/Foreign Affairs)Mountbatten SMC1 Nee Soon GRC(Nee Soon Central)1Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Culture, Community and Youth/Sustainability and the Environment)East Coast GRC(Fengshan)1 Sengkang GRC(Buangkok/Sengkang Central)2 Pasir Ris–Changi GRC(Pasir Ris West)6Cabinet Minister (Prime Minister's Office) Second Minister (Finance/National Development)Assistant Minister-in-charge (National Population and Talent Division) Leader of the HouseAng Mo Kio GRC(Seletar-Serangoon)1Acting Cabinet Minister (Manpower)Senior Minister of State (Digital Development and Information)Nee Soon GRC(Nee Soon South)1 Pasir Ris–Changi GRC(Changi)1 West Coast–Jurong West GRC(Ayer Rajah)1 Aljunied GRC(Paya Lebar)4 Bukit Gombak SMC4Senior Minister of State (Culture, Community & Youth/Energy, Trade and Industry)Mayor (South West CDC)Sembawang GRC(Woodlands)2 Ang Mo Kio GRC(Cheng San)2 Tanjong Pagar GRC(Telok Blangah)2 Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC(Geylang Serai)1 Tanjong Pagar GRC(Henderson-Dawson)3 Jalan Besar GRC(Kampong Glam)5Mayor (Central CDC)Sembawang West SMC2 Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC(Bukit Batok East)3Minister of State (Digital Development and Information/Health)Holland–Bukit Timah GRC(Bukit Timah)4Second Cabinet Minister (Foreign Affairs/Home Affairs)Deputy Whip (PAP)Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC(Woodgrove)2 Punggol GRC(Punggol West)3Senior Minister of State (Energy, Trade and Industry/National Development)East Coast GRC(Changi-Simei)5 Jalan Besar GRC(Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng)5Cabinet Minister (Digital Development and Information) Minister-in-charge (Cybersecurity and Smart Nation Group)Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC(MacPherson)4 Punggol GRC(Punggol Coast)2 

NCMPs Name Party TermsWP1

NMPs Name Terms Occupation1Medical lawyer

References

Wong Aline and Leong, W. K., Singapore Women: Three Decades of Change, Singapore: Times Academic Press, 1993 ().

External links List of Current MPs