Bridging the social gap : policies & ideologies

Abstract

This paper aims to undercover the experiences of low-income single mothers and how they navigate the welfare assistance policies in Singapore. Ideologies and policies are scruntizined to understand the implications of state intervention, family and gender on their experience. Interviews are conducted to understand the daily experiences of this marginalized group. The framework of governmentality, institutionalized familiamism and gendered politics are used to guide this research paper. In the paper, I argue that disjuctions between theory and practice, structural factors and exclusionary mechanisms exist which impede the low-income single mothers’ access to the welfare assistance schemes. The findings has also shown that existing welfare assistance policises are ineffective in aiding this marginalized group in achieving self-reliance.