This is me...

Are men and women all equ­al? Is it equal when it comes to chances and opportunities waiting for the both sexes in modern Singapore society? Why are the low birth rate and aging population issues inevitable in Singapore?
Apparently, conscription for National Service in Singapore for only males between 18 and 20 is a major mistake and the key cause of these uprising problems.
Ladies and gentlemen, in my speech, I will discuss why there is an essential need for the government to make National Service compulsory for the ladies in Singapore.
Firstly, the equality of men and women. Why are women “spared” of enrolling into the military? Are they of the weaker sex? No, they are just competent as men. You would question of their physical competence when they are enlisted into the military. However, I believe many of us are aware that there are support vocations that do not require any physical labour. Such examples are the medics and admin. Girls can work in the backline or enrol in the air force. It is common to see many female pilots working in the air force and serving their country in Europe and the United States. In Singapore, there is a compelling need for her citizens to be enlisted into the military, so as to protect this island from unexpected intrusions. If the government wants to achieve this goal, then it is really unrealistic to conscript male youths solely. Aren’t women equal to men in terms of social status? Then isn’t it ironic to not enlist female youths into the military?

I believe that it would be rather impractical to recruit the females into the military for a long period of two years, which is the amount of time the males are required for national service. Perhaps one to one and half years would be the most ideal for most girls to be equipped with the necessary life skills and own the sense of belonging to­wards Singapore.
Talking about time, it brings me on to the next point of the standings of men and women in the societal ladder in Singapore.
Statistically, let us first analyse the birth rate of Singapore in the recent years. According to latest 2010 statistics, Singapore’s resident total fertility rate (TFR) reached a level of 1.22 in 2009. What is the reason behind this figure? In Singapore, male and female youths of the same age do not step in the society at the same time. After their junior college or polytechnic education, the girls immediately can be promoted to universities in Singapore, whilst guys have to start serving their national service from the age of 18 to 20. When they have served their term, they will realise that the girls of the same age are much ahead of them. The girls will be the dominating force in the working community as they step in society at an earlier age and can gain more experience. In Singapore, the most common scenario will be the females of the same age at a higher rank or superiority in working posts than the males. The females ultimately will become the working contenders of the males. This issue will definitely lead to the decrease in the number of citizens getting married as both sexes cannot find suitable partners of the same age generation in their working environment.
To conclude, I believe that Singapore government should make National Service obligatory for both genders in Singapore so as to effectively resolve the issues of equality of the sexes and the low birth rate that will lead to an aging population.

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女士们，先生们，我想一针见血地对”新加坡应强制女生参加国民服役”这个论点发表看法。我个人认为，新加坡应当限定女孩子服役1年至1年半的时间。

在21世纪，我们讲求的是男女平等。我们提倡的是没有任何封建思想的社会。我们梦想的家园应该是开放，自由的。可是，新加坡政府所采取的政策却和我们现代人的想法有着天壤之别。
男女在新加坡真的平等吗？我想不是。

若男女平等，那为什么只有男孩子需要服两年的兵役而女孩子却可以继续升上大学，并且比同龄的男生提早踏入社会？
女孩真的比男孩弱吗？并不是，她们比我们想象中更加地勇敢、强悍。她们可能在体力上没有我们男性那么的强，但在军营里有很多后援部门和职位适合女孩子，例如急救护士和做文笔工作的职员。她们不一定要上战场以表对新加坡的忠诚，因为这样实在是很肤浅。捍卫国家，人人有责，不论性别。我认为若这项计划实行，女孩子该服役的时间应该要比男孩子少，大概在1年至1年半之间。因为她们需要做的事情相比之下少得多，而也容易多了。她们可以在这段时间内掌握军营里所学的知识和技能，并且也能从心内萌长出一份对国家的挚爱。

第二，我们也要考虑男女在社会上所面对的竞争。

因为女生比男生早两年步入社会，她们自然而然会获取更多的经验。当男生们服完了兵役，他们最大的竞争对手则会是他们同一届的女生们。女生会控制住职场，而男生则会成为女生们的下属。男孩子最大的工作对手极有可能是和他们年龄那个相仿的异性。这会使新加坡的结婚率一直维持在现在这种低潮的状态。而离婚率也会不断上升。在2007年，离婚案件高达7226起，而那年总共才有23,996个结婚案例。 这说明了男人和女人在择偶时，遇到了很大的难题。

从以上两点可见，女孩子参加国家服役的确是个值得考虑的政策。