MOTHERING SINGAPORE AND THE NATION’S FEMALE OTHER

Abstract

Although the nation is often represented as male and a man’s domain in state discourse, it is actually women who play an influential role in building the nation. In postcolonial Singapore, its women are valued for their fertility and reproductive capability to stabilize the nation’s shrinking birth rate. As mothers and caretakers, Singaporean women are expected to take care of the family, not just the children but all members of the family. This is because the family is a valuable asset to the nation, viewed as the basic foundation and anchor of Singaporean society. To add, within the family, Singaporean women are expected to teach and impart desirable Asian values to their children. Asian values are important in Singapore as they define the nation and Singaporean national identity. The adoption and imitation of foreign or Western values are highly discouraged. This is the official female narrative in Singapore. However, the sarong party girl, simply abbreviated as SPG, strays from this narrative. In Singapore, the SPG is identified as the nation’s unwanted female Other. To the eyes of Singaporean society, the SPG’s behaviour is considered unfeminine and her conduct non-Asian. In particular, the SPG’s promiscuity poses a threat to social harmony and stability within Singapore.