Research question
Does gender inequality lead to income disparity in Singapore?
Thesis statement
Because of the patriarchal structure in Singapore, income disparity persists between genders.
Introduction
In his TED talk, Goldin (2009) talks about the unequal development of globalisation. As the world globalises, countries are getting wealthier, mobile phones now are more advanced than the computer systems in the past and women are getting better education. However, as not everyone experiences the same rate of development (Sen, 2002), the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer in most cases. Despite equal or even greater contributions from women in many countries, they are often not rewarded equally. Because of the patriarchal structure in Singapore, income disparity persists between genders. In order to address the income disparity between genders, laws need to be enacted to empower women.
Body
Brief Outline:
- why is there a gender bias in developing country?
- traditional values/culture. eg. Singapore - women as primary care-givers
- education level of women eg. men are preferred over women to pursue education in the past leading to a male dominant society
- why this gender bias persist
- patriarchal state
- how does this biasness affect their social status, in turn affecting their income
- submissive to men, therefore inferior? eg. Other patriarchal states- Malaysia - Obedient Wives Club, women are to sexually satisfy their husband
- main role as mothers, not as breadwinner - economically dependent
- family policies are targeted and implemented through men. eg. Singapore - family policies are targeted at men - head of household
- lack of education for women
- lowly skilled, lowly paid
- unable to find jobs thus not contributing to economy
- even for those who are employed, lack of wage law results in unequal pay
- reasons: women are troublesome due to pregnancy leading to loss of productivity
- maternity leave (paid/unpaid)
- more women problems, thus need to provide higher medical benefits
Solutions
- how to alleviate gender bias, thus leading to closing income gap
- implement law on equal pay for women, eg Singapore's Women's Charter did fight for equal wage for women but was not passed - equal pay day 2013
- Singapore has regulations on employers regarding maternity leave, eg. 8 weeks of paid maternity leave, retaining employer status after returning from pregnancy
- however it reinforces the notion that women are primary care-givers and their roles as mothers
- compulsory education for women
- equipped necessary skills for employment
- better opportunities
- higher contributions
- educate the population in terms of gender equality, change perspective of women
- not as subservient to men but as equal
- give more political attention to civil societies not just as "gestural" politics eg. AWARE, SCWO
Evaluation of solutions
- traditional asian values are hard to change even when laws are implemented to empower women
- Singapore's political scene takes a top-down approach. Decision making is in one single body, civil societies may voice their opinions but its implementation (or not) is ultimately set by the state.
http://youngbpwinternational.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/bpw-singapores-inaugural-equal-pay-day-event/
http://www.scwo.org.sg/index.php/events/454-women-are-not-asking-for-the-bar-to-be-lowered-they-just-want-a-level-playing-field
References:
Sen, A. (2002). How To Judge Globalism. The American Prospect, 13(1), 1-14. Last retrieved from: http://www2.econ.uu.nl/users/marrewijk/pdf/ihs/geo/sen%202000%20judge%20glob.pdf on 18 February, 2014.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Reader Response Draft 2
In "Globalization of Culture Through the Media" Kraidy (2002) discusses the controversy between cultural imperialism and globalisation. He mentions the view that "cultural imperialism", once dominant from the West through media, has evolve into globalisation and hybridisation, where cultural flows are multilateral. He suggests that "cultural hybridity" is not a new phenomenon but one that has existed in the past.
Kraidy (2002) in his article discusses the opposing perspectives that globalisation, thus cultural hybridity homogenises cultures and undermines present local cultures. However, I feel that rather than homogenising local cultures, hybridisation actually reinvents and revives local cultures. The exchange of ideas and information, from the interaction between traders and villagers in the past to the present prevalent usage of media, causing culture to evolve and change over time. As interaction occurs, parties pick up relevant ideas and information, adapting them into their respective cultures, modifying and leading to cultural hybridisation. With globalisation, the interconnectedness of countries accelerates interactions, resulting in more intensive exchange of ideas. Cultures that operate at a global scale are what Featherstone (1995) mentioned as "third cultures", which nation states no longer have complete control in, resembling many of the cultural influences we see today.
For example the recent K-Pop craze, by adopting Western pop culture into its music genre, Korea has not only modified its local culture but also marketing it to the world. With the extensive use of media such as television and internet, people around the world are constantly being exposed to K-pop. The popularity of K-pop and its worldwide subscription sells Korea as a tourist destination. Fans from around the world are eager to learn Korean, and through the language are able to better understand the local culture. This is not a one-way interaction where Korea adopts the Western pop culture but also the acceptance of K-pop around the world in countries like USA, Singapore and China.
However, it can be said that popular consumption of K-pop has led to its commercialisation. As McEwan and Daya (2012) suggest "culture has become increasingly commodified". One can see in the global market, K-pop music are usually catchy and contemporary which appeals to the general audience. Instead of portraying traditional cultures of Korea to the audience, the music is being commercialised for consumption. Therefore, a balance has to be struck between commercialising and promoting the local culture, in order not to undermine and dilute it into a totally different one.
400 words
References:
Featherstone, M. (1995). Undoing Culture: Globalization, Postmodernism and Identity (Vol. 39). Sage.
McEwan, C. and Daya, S. (2012) "Geography, culture and global change", in P. Daniels, M. Bradshaw, D. Shaw and J. Sidaway (eds.), An Introduction to Human Geography (Harlow: Pearson), Chapter 13, pp. 272-287.
Kraidy (2002) in his article discusses the opposing perspectives that globalisation, thus cultural hybridity homogenises cultures and undermines present local cultures. However, I feel that rather than homogenising local cultures, hybridisation actually reinvents and revives local cultures. The exchange of ideas and information, from the interaction between traders and villagers in the past to the present prevalent usage of media, causing culture to evolve and change over time. As interaction occurs, parties pick up relevant ideas and information, adapting them into their respective cultures, modifying and leading to cultural hybridisation. With globalisation, the interconnectedness of countries accelerates interactions, resulting in more intensive exchange of ideas. Cultures that operate at a global scale are what Featherstone (1995) mentioned as "third cultures", which nation states no longer have complete control in, resembling many of the cultural influences we see today.
For example the recent K-Pop craze, by adopting Western pop culture into its music genre, Korea has not only modified its local culture but also marketing it to the world. With the extensive use of media such as television and internet, people around the world are constantly being exposed to K-pop. The popularity of K-pop and its worldwide subscription sells Korea as a tourist destination. Fans from around the world are eager to learn Korean, and through the language are able to better understand the local culture. This is not a one-way interaction where Korea adopts the Western pop culture but also the acceptance of K-pop around the world in countries like USA, Singapore and China.
However, it can be said that popular consumption of K-pop has led to its commercialisation. As McEwan and Daya (2012) suggest "culture has become increasingly commodified". One can see in the global market, K-pop music are usually catchy and contemporary which appeals to the general audience. Instead of portraying traditional cultures of Korea to the audience, the music is being commercialised for consumption. Therefore, a balance has to be struck between commercialising and promoting the local culture, in order not to undermine and dilute it into a totally different one.
400 words
References:
Featherstone, M. (1995). Undoing Culture: Globalization, Postmodernism and Identity (Vol. 39). Sage.
McEwan, C. and Daya, S. (2012) "Geography, culture and global change", in P. Daniels, M. Bradshaw, D. Shaw and J. Sidaway (eds.), An Introduction to Human Geography (Harlow: Pearson), Chapter 13, pp. 272-287.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Reader Response Draft 1
In "Globalization of Culture Through the Media" Kraidy (2002) discusses the controversy between cultural imperialism and globalisation. He mentions the view that "cultural imperialism", once dominant from the West through media, has evolve into globalisation and hybridisation, where cultural flows are multilateral. He suggests that "cultural hybridity" is not a new phenomenon but one that has existed in the past.
Kraidy (2002) in his article discusses the perception that globalisation, thus cultural hybridity homogenises cultures and undermines the present local cultures. However, I feel that rather than homogenising local cultures, hybridisation actually reinvents and revives local cultures. The exchange of ideas and information, from the interaction between traders and villagers in the past to the present prevalent usage of the media, causing culture to evolve and change over time. As interaction occurs, parties pick up relevant ideas and information from one another and adapt it into their respective culture, often modifying and leading to cultural hybridisation. With globalisation, the interconnectedness of countries accelerates interactions, resulting in even more intensive exchange of ideas.
For example the recent K-Pop craze, by adopting the Western pop culture into its genre of music, Korea has not only modified its local culture but also market it to the world. With the extensive use of media such as television and internet, people around the world are constantly being exposed to K-pop. The popularity of K-pop and its worldwide subscription sells Korea as a tourist destination. Fans from around the world are eager to learn Korean, and through the language are able to better understand the local culture. This is not a one-way interaction where Korea adopts the Western pop culture but also the acceptance of K-pop around the world in countries like USA, Singapore and China.
However, it can be said that the popular consumption of K-pop has led to its commercialisation. As one can see in the global market, K-pop music are usually catchy and contemporary which appeals to the general market. Instead of portraying the traditional cultures of Korea to the audience, the music is being commercialised for consumption. Therefore, a balance has to be struck between commercialising and promoting the local culture, in order not to undermine and dilute it into a totally different one.
372 words
Kraidy (2002) in his article discusses the perception that globalisation, thus cultural hybridity homogenises cultures and undermines the present local cultures. However, I feel that rather than homogenising local cultures, hybridisation actually reinvents and revives local cultures. The exchange of ideas and information, from the interaction between traders and villagers in the past to the present prevalent usage of the media, causing culture to evolve and change over time. As interaction occurs, parties pick up relevant ideas and information from one another and adapt it into their respective culture, often modifying and leading to cultural hybridisation. With globalisation, the interconnectedness of countries accelerates interactions, resulting in even more intensive exchange of ideas.
For example the recent K-Pop craze, by adopting the Western pop culture into its genre of music, Korea has not only modified its local culture but also market it to the world. With the extensive use of media such as television and internet, people around the world are constantly being exposed to K-pop. The popularity of K-pop and its worldwide subscription sells Korea as a tourist destination. Fans from around the world are eager to learn Korean, and through the language are able to better understand the local culture. This is not a one-way interaction where Korea adopts the Western pop culture but also the acceptance of K-pop around the world in countries like USA, Singapore and China.
However, it can be said that the popular consumption of K-pop has led to its commercialisation. As one can see in the global market, K-pop music are usually catchy and contemporary which appeals to the general market. Instead of portraying the traditional cultures of Korea to the audience, the music is being commercialised for consumption. Therefore, a balance has to be struck between commercialising and promoting the local culture, in order not to undermine and dilute it into a totally different one.
372 words
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
An Event That Shaped My Life
The following event might sound very ordinary but I felt that it probably affected me quite significantly and helped shape what I am today. It was more of a continuity throughout my primary school life rather than a single event.
A very good friend of mine, Denie, spent 6 years together in the same class with me during my primary school life. We came from very different cultural background- he was from a Malay family while I came from a Chinese family. However, we hit off well and had many memorable moments in primary school. Occasionally, I would skip my Chinese lessons to attend Malay lessons with him, even though I've never pick up much from the lessons.
We did almost every thing together in school, from eating (I ate Halal food everyday) to joining the same Co-Curriculum Activities. Everyday without fail after school, we walked from school to Denie's house which was 10 minutes away. When most primary school kids would hurry home, we would take our time and joke and laugh at everything. He would either invite me to his house or accompany me while waiting for my dad to come fetch me. We were so close that his family would invite me over for his siblings' birthday party, which I felt was something worth noting.
277 words
Edited 13 February 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
My English Language Learning Journey
Having grown up in a Chinese family, I first came into contact with the English language in kindergarten. Since both my parents neither spoke nor wrote English, the only time I got to practice the language was in school. With limited practice, it explains my poor grammar and limited vocabulary.
I remember back in Primary 3 when I scored 2/50 for my English essay, and the only comment on the paper was "GRAMMAR". I was stunned, being in the top class but scoring probably the lowest in the cohort. Unsure of what to expect next, I chose to ignore the score, so did my teacher since she did not request me to see her after class or anything of that sort. From then on, I chose to avoid English, especially in the form of writing. However, with interests in subjects such as Geography and History, writing could not be avoided. I realised the importance of the language since everything was taught and written in English, without a good command of the language, I would be at a disadvantage. Yet minimal effort was put in to improving my English, I would not read anything out of syllabus to improve my vocabulary or writing style.
After taking the QET, I had the feeling that I would have to take ES1102 and here I am. Despite being an arts student all my life, I felt it was hard for me to convey my intentions with my weak command of English (for example, writing this). Therefore I hope ES1102 would help me improve my writing skills, especially in terms sentence structure and grammar.
Edited 3 February
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