Barriers Faced by Low-Income Mothers in Singapore

Attiya
Attiya
Sep 2, 2018 · 6 min read

While financial constraints in itself prove to be an obstacle for lower-income families, the additional layer of womanhood whereby women are subject to traditional domestic roles and expectations creates another barrier for low-income mothers, in particular, to overcome.

Through understanding demographics and economic circumstances of lower-income households and the underlying traditions that women are subject to, there can be better understanding of outcomes of lower-income mothers. Additionally, it would be meaningful to take this a step further to observe how the interplay of these demographic, economic and cultural factors with existing policies and systems continue to perpetuate these outcomes rather than alleviate them.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in 2011, 44.2 percent of low-income households surveyed in Singapore have educational qualifications up till the primary school level, and 70.6 percent of them had qualifications up till the GCE ‘N’ or ‘O’-Levels. Following that, a large proportion of those in the labour force from these households were either employed under service, manual or clerical-related jobs. Additionally, 51.4 percent of the households surveyed have a sole breadwinner, while 17.4 percent of them are dual-income.

These statistics show that low-income households are not able to gain access to higher-paid jobs due to their insufficient educational qualifications and skills. A lack of financial resources could lead to lack of access to basic necessities such as food, healthcare and education that would improve the standard of living of said households. These households also take additional steps to maximise what they have, such as the utilisation of discounts and coupons, and social assistance schemes.

With the rise of the gig economy, thought it would be interesting to observe sentiments among low-income households towards freelance work because of the various factors of appeal of such jobs like flexibility. There is not much data about this as of yet, especially with the gig economy being a relatively recent phenomenon. However, as much as such jobs can appear attractive, those who choose to take this path require a certain degree of financial awareness and planning, and management of expectations so that they do not end up in a situation where they fall short of money, particularly on days where demand for work is low.

This would imply that savings is essential when one chooses to engage in such work. However, low-income households are generally found to have minimal savings because their work provides pay that is adequate to meet their primary necessities, and habitually, they focus on satisfying immediate needs. Freelance work could therefore either be a blessing or an additional challenge, depending on the nature of the job and financial management that has to come with it.

As mentioned in the beginning, apart from the financial challenges that come with being from a low-income household, mothers face even more constraints due to their womanhood which inevitably subjects them to traditional domestic roles and expectations.

The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) recently published a report entitled “Why are you not working?: Low-income mothers explain challenges with work and care”. This report was the first ever of its kind that had ever been done in Singapore, albeit one that is overdue. From this report, it is evident that women from low-income households are subjected to the traditional caregiver roles, both for their children and for their ageing parents. Their involvements in the household impede their capabilities to contribute to the workforce, which thus lead to higher tendencies for turnover or being let go.

Being a mother or caregiver implies that women need to be available during specific timings of the day, such as after daycare hours, or for whole days in instances whereby their dependents fall ill. Their employers are found to be unwilling to accommodate to these needs as it would affect workplace performance and output. Women are unfortunately hurt by such sentiments, as evidently encapsulated by the concept of the ‘Motherhood Penalty’.

With the ageing population phenomenon, statistics show that caregivers also face such discrimination. A 2016 report by The Center for WorkLife Law based on 4400 Family Responsibility Discrimination cases in the United States showed that the number of eldercare-related cases increased by more than 6 times since the 1980s. Half of all employees are expected to be playing such a role in the years to come; addressing this would thus not only be beneficial to low-income mothers, but society as a whole.

Unfortunately for low-income mothers, they lack the resources to file such cases in the court of law and have to adjust accordingly. Not being able to earn money for their families (and for themselves, especially if they desire the such independence) not only makes things difficult financially, but could also affect other aspects of their well-being such as self-efficacy. Such elements of well-being should not be disregarded because they carry over to how these individuals execute their roles in the household, which would affect the rest of their family members. Self-efficacy is a component of mental health and a mother’s state of mental health has a toll on her child’s development.

Furthermore, being of lower income impedes these women’s abilities to improve their current situation. For instance, without sufficient financial capabilities, many are not able to afford childcare services. The AWARE report also highlighted how low-income families tend to converge towards subsidised childcare services, of which there is currently a shortage in supply (but this is soon to change, hopefully, with the introduction of more childcare services by the government in years to come — but needing to be coupled with policies catered to easing the financial burden of such services for the low-income) resulting in families being put on waiting lists. Such circumstances hinders mothers from working until a resolution comes about.

On top of that, elder-care services add on to caregiving costs, but those who are eligible can receive subsidies from the government of up to about 80 percent. However, the challenge for low-income caregivers could be in the utilisation of facilities which may require them to plan for commute and to arrange for appointments to be made. During AWARE’s recent forum to release their aforementioned report, they’re looking to conduct a similar research but with focus on low-income female caregivers as this brings about another dimension of challenges unique from that of taking care of young children.

To alleviate the circumstances of low-income households, and by extension, their matriarchs, policies and systems have been put in place such as social assistance in the form of subsidies such as that of childcare and incentives for employers to implement flexible work schedules. However, the AWARE report does highlight some shortcomings of these policies and how they can be improved. In their forum as well, one of the circumstances highlighted was the condition of mothers working at least 56 hours a month to be eligible for an additional subsidy of $150 for childcare, which is undoubtedly a substantial amount. However, there are low-income mothers who face difficulty in meeting this criteria as they engage in casual work with less hours clocked in as opposed to a more regular job. Ironically, such an instance proves that there are cases whereby criteria established can make it extra challenging for those who require the benefits more to access them.

Additionally, from interactions with on-the-ground activists, while employers do capitalise on said incentives which mostly tend to be financial, these only have a shorter-term outlook. A change in workplace culture is ultimately needed for there to be receptivity in making adjustments on a more permanent basis, and this goes beyond implementing policies, thus proving to be a challenge.

Speaking of cultural shifts, such a change should also be called for in terms of the expectations on women to play the roles of mother and caregiver in households. This has been a long-standing issue and it cannot be denied that great strides forward have been made, especially with more women being active participants in the labour force than ever before. However, within the group women as a whole, privilege in the form of resources and opportunities plays a big part in influencing how expectations play out in their respective households.

On the whole, it is essential to understand the underlying factors that contribute to the challenges faced by lower-income mothers. Authorities have definitely been paying much attention to addressing the needs of this vulnerable group. As with every other issue, there is no single blanket solution that is able to address each unique case, as evidently shown in the scenarios cited above. That said, improvements and revisions can always be made to ensure that as many people and circumstances are accounted for. This comes with continuous efforts in on-the-ground interactions and forums, particularly with those with more (political) power being involved directly in the process as this could expedite positive changes.

Attiya

Written by

Attiya

A researcher with passion for development, education & gender economics, actively volunteering in organisations that economically empower minorities and women.