WOMEN AND THE CARE OF THE AGED IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This is primarily a qualitative study on the subjective experience of Singaporean (Chinese) women caring for the aged sick in Singapore. This study articulates the many difficulties women have had in caring for the elderly, given the progressive clash of demographic trends of an ageing population and an increased female labour force participation. Since women are primarily involved in the task of caregiving, family care as a collective unit, is a misnomer. In Singapore, the government tends to privatise the care of the elderly by invoking Confucian values of filial piety and collective family effort. Hence, this conceals the struggles of the ‘women in the middle' and relegates the woman's role in the caregiving task into the domain of non-recognition. Highlighting these paradoxes, this study examines the implications these issues have on gender relations in Singapore.