The role of ICTs in the lives of foreign wives in Singapore : social exclusion and barriers of ICTs.

Abstract

This research aims to understand the factors that lead to exclusion among foreign wives in Singapore and the role that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) plays in inclusion and empowerment. Increasingly, there has been a trend of migration through marriage in Singapore, especially between foreign brides and Singaporean men. Present literature show that ICTs can be a source of social support to help migrants adapt to life in their host country (Choi & Chen, 2006). We conducted in-depth interviews with 27 foreign wives in Singapore and found that although not a direct cause of empowerment, ICTs act as an agent to enhance social, political and economic inclusion. We also found out how respondents adopted ICTs differently to achieve inclusion, yet the very same benefits ICTs bring could have negative impacts too.