WORSE THAN MAID’: A COMPARISON OF WORK-CARE REGIMES OF YOUNG WORKING PARENTS IN SINGAPORE ACROSS SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND GENDER

Abstract

Discourse on work-family issues tend to centre around the middle-income and women, Surfacing the need for an inclusive societal narrative that involves low-wage workers from a lower socioeconomic background (SES) and fathers alongside mothers. This qualitative exploratory study gathered the stories of 18 young working parents from the lower-SES and higher-SES backgrounds to compare for SES-related outcomes and gender-specific outcomes. Using a resource-based lens to analyse work-care culture, work-care institutions and family behaviours within the work-care regime, the study found that working mothers from lower-SES families faced the poorest work-care outcomes. Altogether, resource support in the areas of knowledge, substitute resources, and organisational and societal visibility of work-family struggles will help boost paternal involvement, child and family well-being and other work-care outcomes for lower-SES families in general.