Should single mothers receive equal state support? This was the naughty question Nominated Member of Parliament Kuik Shiao Yin asked Minister of Social and Family development Chan Chun Sing on 19 Jan 2015. Currently, single mothers only receive half the number of weeks for maternity leave, and do not receive state subsidies (e.g., Child development account, Baby Bonus, Working Mother's relief scheme) often used to support young families who have headed the state's call to the National Service of baby making.
This isn't really a new question - local feminist academics have been asking this for the longest time. But of course, how many of them make it to parliament where it's hard to ignore them? Shiao Yin kept it on the agenda, thankfully. Turns out that she's also the Director of the hugely successful School of Thought (CV-Shiao Yin), the one tuition centre that I genuinely have a lot of respect for given their commitment to social justice. We need more voices like that in parliament.
But back to the point of single mothers. The only thing more interesting about the question was the answer Chan Chun Sing gave, or rather, gave on behalf of his ministry. So it goes that the worry's that providing equal benefits to single mothers sends out the 'wrong' message that the state's promoting alternative family structures, dis-incentivising marriage (i.e., monogamous heterosexual marriage that is), and the idea that children can develop well outside the context of a traditional (read: patriarchal) marriage.
But the idea of treating single mothers equally raises too many questions. Are heterosexual Singaporeans flocking to the Registry of Marriage because of these incentives? To what extent have marriage couples ever truly been incentivised to perform the act of baby making for Baby Bonus benefits and what not? How does he know that the mothers were single because they wilfully chose to raise their own child? If single mothers are to be punished (and that's a BIG if ) then what about punishing the father? Frankly if you ask me, it should be that bloke who should be punished for not being around to take care of the child! And should the mother have chosen to be single due to an abusive marriage, how would the child have been any healthier had she or he grown up in a psychologically damaging environment?
I think the REAL message the Ministry fears is this: that women can choose, that they have agency, that women are equals, that women no longer need men so much that they have to sacrifice their dignity and power.
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| By the way, she IS married. Got my vote! |
But back to the point of single mothers. The only thing more interesting about the question was the answer Chan Chun Sing gave, or rather, gave on behalf of his ministry. So it goes that the worry's that providing equal benefits to single mothers sends out the 'wrong' message that the state's promoting alternative family structures, dis-incentivising marriage (i.e., monogamous heterosexual marriage that is), and the idea that children can develop well outside the context of a traditional (read: patriarchal) marriage.
I think the REAL message the Ministry fears is this: that women can choose, that they have agency, that women are equals, that women no longer need men so much that they have to sacrifice their dignity and power.
Single Mothers are humans too! :(
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