Chinese-Singaporean women’s negotiation of traditional gender roles and expectations with their husbands in maid-hiring households

Abstract

This study examines how the hiring of a maid affected women’s negotiation of their traditional gender roles and expectations their husbands have of them, through the lenses of the gender framework. 8 married couples were interviewed to understand how maids have affected family dynamics regarding domestic labour. The gender framework is used to explain how the division of domestic labour is gendered through a gender regime. Women are found to be able to ‘contest’ this regime using both formal and informal ways of negotiations if they had certain resources. The significance of this study found that domestic maids are such a resource. The effects of having maids not only changes the way domestic work is distributed and allocated, but also changes the way wives can contest the dominant gender regime.