Both women said that mountaineering being a male-dominated space did not deter them.
Zeng said: “Sometimes, we have a conception that there’s a difference between male and female but … I really think sometimes just put yourself as a human being. Just do the things that you want to do, achieve the things that you want, then you might be even better.”
Likewise, Sim believes that gender is just an “artificial constraint”.
“Generally, women in Singapore have started off on a good and high base in terms of education, career opportunities and prospects. It’s really about putting more of us out there, voicing out our thoughts and being more proactive in the areas that we want to be in,” she said.
The other inductees are:
Tan See Lai: The pioneering educational TV producer and newscaster was a household name in the 1960s. In 1987, the late newscaster became the Education Ministry’s director in charge of public relations, computer services, scholarships, higher education and pupil placement.
Linda Locke: A trailblazer in the Asian creative industry, she was the first Singaporean woman to head the local operations of an international advertising agency after she became managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi in 1984.
Mary Ann Tsao: Tsao is a pioneering advocate for successful longevity, and heads the Singapore-based Tsao Foundation that runs programmes relating to ageing and aged care. In 2022, she was named one of the United Nations’ Healthy Ageing 50 – 50 pioneering global leaders working to make the world a better place for older people.
Hadijah Rahmat: The author and poet is a Malay language and culture expert and educator who was the driving force behind the National Institute of Education’s first bachelor’s degree programme in the Malay language, launched in 2000.
Kirtida Mekani: This champion of the environment was the founding executive director of the Singapore Environment Council in 1993, and in 2015, she received the prestigious President’s Award for the Environment.
Grace Young-Diao: The athlete and charity fundraiser is a seven-time SEA Games gold medallist and three-time Sportswoman of the Year. Since 2009, she has cycled annually to raise funds to support underserved communities in remote villages in Thailand.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame, which was founded by SCWO to celebrate Singapore’s most outstanding women in all categories of endeavour, and to document and share their stories.
SCWO president Junie Foo said: “We are showing that women are as capable as men of amazing achievements and great contributions to society.
“We are particularly keen to get the stories of our Hall of Fame women to young children because the future is theirs to shape, and we want them to shape a society that is just and equal.”