SINGAPORE - Pretty much all women in Singapore take certain things for granted: freedom of movement, the right to an education and a passport, and easy access to open a bank account and start a company. These are givens. Where we were born became a large part of our destiny.

But this is not enough. Women here also want gender equality and pay parity. At a Milken Institute Women Leaders' Summit in Singapore, I was reminded of how long we have pushed for this when a 20something woman asked the acclaimed, international panel: "For decades, we have been talking about women's empowerment without raising the bar in a significant manner. What more can we do?"