Our “Your Stories” series are submissions shared with us via email or in one-on-one interviews, for the purposes of our research and campaigns. All names have been changed (unless the use of real names was explicitly permitted by the author), and we have sought permission to publish from the authors/interviewees themselves. The opinions expressed in these posts do not represent those of AWARE.
Isabelle: I’m a 36-year-old single mum with a 13-year-old child. I got divorced a few years back.
I don’t have many childhood memories. My mum didn’t care about me and my dad was very strict to me. I’ve been working from the age of 14 until now, struggling by myself to be independent.
I used to consume drugs. When I was 21, I met my (now-ex) hubby. After dating for two years, I got pregnant. I decided to stop taking drugs as I knew it would harm my child, but my ex-hubby continued with his drugs. After our child was born, I thought life would be better. But I was wrong. Almost every day I lived in a nightmare.
I brought up my child with my bare hands. I worked at least three jobs, from day to night, just to survive and provide my child with milk powder and Pampers. While I was at work, my ex-hubby looked after my child. He would bring her wherever he went to carry out his illegal activities.
I remember when Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. So many people were jobless—and I was one of them, after getting retrenched. I was forced to take on a dishwasher/stall helper job with a salary of $4 an hour. Almost every day, I carried my child behind me to work, not wanting to leave her alone with my ex-hubby.
I had no family support; neither was my hubby’s family helping. His mother looked down on me and laughed, saying that I was so young, yet working an “auntie job”. I endured the pain and bit my lips to hold on the marriage.
When I got my rental flat, we moved out of his family’s home. Again, I thought things would change for the better, but again I was disappointed. He never changed. Instead, he got more and more into drugs. Every day, different people were staying in our house, doing drugs. The whole house stank. It was really unhealthy for us. Finally, he got caught and went to prison.
When he was released, I gave him another chance for the sake of our child. I got pregnant for the second time. Once again, I pinned my hopes on him changing; once again, he didn’t. He blamed me for the pregnancy, said the child was not his. He insulted me and said all kinds of nasty words.
My second pregnancy ended in a stillbirth. My husband never felt any remorse. It took two years for me to overcome the loss of this child. From there, our marriage was on the rocks. He has been in and out of prison. I lost my job. My elder child is undergoing counselling.
Eventually, I gave up on him and I decided to divorce. It was not easy for me to move on, but this is my struggle in life.
Currently, I am staying in a two-room rental flat. This situation is tough, though, as HDB charges rent based on your gross salary. They don’t care how much I have left in the bank after CPF deductions. I tried to apply for a Build-to-Order flat, but my CPF is not enough; I would have to top it up with cash, which I cannot afford. To be honest, I still don’t have any savings. Every month, my salary is all used up.
I want to share this with other ladies out there. Know that you are never alone in your struggle.
Stand Together Festival presents a special performance of Crazy Poor Sita by Sharul Channa, Singapore’s first full-time female stand-up comedian! If you missed this sold-out show when it debuted back in March, here’s a new chance to catch it—as well as an exclusive post-show discussion with Sharul.
This hour-long comedic monologue takes audiences through the highs and lows in the life of Sita, a spirited but disadvantaged woman struggling to maintain her sanity and eke out a living in the face of Singapore’s often absurd economic inequality.
Sharul brilliantly adapted the show from AWARE’s 2018 report “Why Are You Not Working?” and the real-life stories of lower-income families, to showcase the barriers that low-income mothers face in gaining and staying in employment. Jumping off from those insights with her disarming brand of wit, Sharul weaves humour and pathos into a wholly unique, wholly Singaporean theatrical experience. Treat yourself, your friends and family to an evening of truly original entertainment!
There are only 65 seats available at this intimate performance at the AWARE Centre. Tickets are free seating. Light refreshments will be provided.
When: Wednesday, 16 October, 2019, 7.30pm-9pm
Where: AWARE Centre (5 Dover Crescent, #01-22, Singapore 130005)
Tickets: $10
This performance is part of a series of events for the Stand Together Festival, organised by RICE Media. The Stand Together Festival aims to shed light on the workings of poverty and inequality in Singapore, contribute to a sensitive and nuanced discussion of its dynamics, and encourage Singaporeans to stand together in ending it.
This performance is sold out, but there will be one more on 23 October. Get tickets now!
We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.
AWARE’s Advocacy, Research and Communications department is looking for a Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory (WHDA) Senior Executive who can provide those who have experienced discrimination and harassment in the workplace with practical support and advice.
WHDA is a new service launched by AWARE in September 2019. Besides the ARC department, WHDA advisors also liaise with AWARE’s Women’s Care Centre and Sexual Assault Care Centre on cases. Read more about WHDA here.
The role will also require significant time spent supporting the ARC team—organising events and trainings, and doing project-based work.
Position: WHDA Senior Executive Commitment: Full time, Monday to Friday Salary Range: $3,640 to $4,545 Starting date: Mid-November 2019 Last day of application: 10 November 2019
Managing and ensuring adequate and timely response to people reaching out to the Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory
Conducting intake interviews, client support and management of cases (case work), including providing and arranging for Women’s Care Centre services
Regular data management and filing for reporting and analysis, including creating and improving standard operating procedures for the Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory
Identify and improve current processes for better case management and client experience of the Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory
Provide support for advocacy, action and/or research
Organise and deliver worker’s rights trainings
Assist in promoting AWARE’s services and mission by organising and publicising events and liaising with external partners and stakeholders
Assist with the development, implementation and evaluation of community engagement strategies
Requirements:
2 years of related experience in client-facing or community work
Relevant educational qualifications, like social work, counselling, psychology or related field
Experience in law or human resources, with understanding of the Employment Act, workers’ rights is advantageous
Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written)
Good analytical skills
Excellent presentation skills
Proficient with computers and MS office, especially Excel and Word
Superb time-management and organisational skills
Strong project planning: highly creative, adaptable and a self-starter
Ability to work independently to manage projects
Competency to maintain positive and effective working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders
Experience or interest in supporting or empowering individuals
Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
Please note that due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. If you have any questions about this position, please email careers@aware.org.sg.
This post was originally published on Channel News Asia on 29 September 2019.
by Shailey Hingorani, Head of Advocacy & Research
Unmarried women with no children are more likely than married women to provide care for parents ageing at home.
This was the key finding in AWARE’s latest year-long research project studying the impact of family caregiving on caregivers’ retirement adequacy in Singapore.
This surprised us. We did not set out to interview unmarried women, but were interested in family members caring for ageing parents while living with them. Yet most of the 22 women we interviewed turned out to be single.
What we have since also discovered is that this trend is by no means unique to Singapore. Women make up vast numbers of caregivers all around the world.
Research in the US has found that unmarried daughters, daughters who live close to their parents, unemployed daughters and daughters without siblings are all much more likely to be parental caregivers.
Why is this so? Most caregivers we interviewed reported feeling like they had no choice but to assume the role because of their gender and unmarried status.
When asked why she was a caregiver, one of our respondents, Xin Yi* (aged 54), best summed it up: “Because I am single, and I am a woman.”
Although most had more than three siblings (only one was an only child), their brothers and sisters were not assigned caregiving responsibilities because they had their own children to look after.
At first sight, it may seem like a sensible division of labour for filial caregiving responsibilities to fall on the sibling with the fewest family responsibilities. After all, she doesn’t have many demands for her time – not to mention her income.
But might this approach be short-sighted? Perhaps we should also take into account each individual’s likelihood of having future caregiving support – i.e. whether or not she has a family to support her in old age, as eldercare drains her of her own savings.
IMPACT ON A CAREGIVER’S RETIREMENT ADEQUACY
AWARE’s study focused on the impact of caregiving on four retirement factors: Employment, income, expenses and wealth.
Overall, we found that caregiving responsibilities compromise a caregiver’s ability to continue working. This also impacts her disposable income, as respondents with employment changes suffered a 63 per cent average loss in income, while out-of-pocket care-related expenses can balloon to more than a third of her monthly household income after subsidies.
Most of our respondents either reduced the number of hours they worked or stopped working entirely.
There are no specific national-level numbers of people who have reduced their work hours because of caregiving – but the 2018 Labour Force Survey found that 75,800 women have quit work entirely to care for older relatives.
Why is caregiving so incompatible with work? It comes down to three main reasons. First, the need to provide frequent supervision, especially for seniors prone to fainting spells or sudden falls.
Second, the poor and unpredictable health of seniors who need care, who typically require immediate attention and emergency hospital admissions.
Third, the temperamental nature of care recipients with dementia.
Some respondents tried to manage these challenges and juggle work commitments by hiring foreign domestic workers (FDWs).
Yet they found that many caregiving responsibilities, such as emotional care, went beyond what a FDW could provide. Additional support from siblings was also often unreliable and limited.
CARING FOR OTHERS VERSUS SAVING FOR YOUR OLD AGE
Singapore’s last known quantitative study on informal caregiving, conducted in 2011, found that most family caregivers of seniors over 75 were aged 45 to 59 – the age when most people are building savings for their retirement.
As women are expected to live well into their mid-80s, how will they afford care in their old age if they cannot save for themselves at midlife?
According to CPF statistics, about four in 10 active CPF members who turned 55 in 2017 did not hit the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) of S$83,000 in their retirement accounts. Women outnumbered men in this category.
There has been no significant improvement on this front: The percentage difference between men and women achieving BRS has stayed roughly the same over the last three years.
What’s more, this data only includes active CPF members – employed workers who have received a contribution to their CPF accounts in the last three months.
However, caregivers spend a median of nine years outside the labour force providing care to their families, not earning an income or receiving any CPF contributions, according to a Parliament Reply by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. There is no retirement savings data on this group to begin with.
Caregivers with spouses and children can take comfort that even if they cannot afford their own care in old age, they can turn to immediate family members.
Wai Ching*, a respondent of ours who cares for a mother with dementia, does not have that option.
“My mum is fortunate … she still has children,” Wai Ching told us in her interview. “I will not be so fortunate.”
Wai Ching’s situation will be increasingly more common. There were 87,500 single women between the ages of 40 to 59 years in 2017, Singapore’s annual Population in Brief revealed. Even more are staying single across all age groups compared to a decade ago.
It’s a sad irony that caregivers like her, who enable their parents to age in the comfort of their homes, are much more likely to end up ageing with great difficulty.
MAKE CARE EASIER
Family caregiving is a glue that holds family units together. Caregivers put the needs of their loved ones first, often to the neglect of their own well-being. They deserve more.
Earlier this year, the Government announced some plans to enhance caregiver support. These include expanded respite care options and support networks, and a monthly Home Caregiving Grant of S$200 (applications for which will open next month). All this represents a welcome step forward. Yet care is an issue that calls for bigger strides.
Today, there are no statutory requirements for companies to provide family care leave, though government initiatives encourage employers to offer unpaid caregiving leave.
This is important, but leaves the financial burden of caring on the shoulders of caregivers.
The Government also provides financial incentives to companies to offer flexible work arrangements to help caregivers balance work and caregiving responsibilities. Although a crucial first step, in our culture of presenteeism and emphasis on face time, many employers still base worker appraisals on their physical presence in the office.
Finally, the various measures in place to offset care-related expenses do not compensate caregivers for the loss in income and retirement savings that often accompanies the provision of care.
As an ageing population that will rely heavily on caregivers, it is worth reviewing providing stronger financial support for caregiving, including paid eldercare leave, a statutory right to flexible work arrangements, and caregivers’ support grant with cash and CPF contributions.
This third measure, arguably the most critical, would offset out-of-pocket expenses and help caregivers build retirement adequacy while caring for others.
These actions would help all caregivers to older persons – male or female, married or unmarried. But they would go furthest to boost single, female caregivers’ chances to age with dignity and comfort.
Let’s ensure that the good daughters of today do not become the impoverished elderly of tomorrow.
*The names used in this commentary are pseudonyms.
This post was originally published as a press release on 25 September 2019.
To provide more comprehensive support to individuals facing harassment and discrimination at work, gender-equality organisation AWARE has today launched a new Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory (WHDA) service.
WHDA offers both practical advice and emotional support to any person aged 18 and up working in Singapore, of any nationality, at any stage of their distress. Individuals calling the WHDA helpline (6777 0318, Mon-Fri 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) will make an appointment with a specialised advisor, who will walk them through various recourse options, internal or external—including approaching their company’s HR or the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), or filing a mediation request with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). Counselling or pro-bono legal advice may also be scheduled, depending on the needs of the client.
The WHDA service is open to both union and non-union members. It is free to use, though some features that clients can opt for—like counselling—carry a low (means-tested) fee.
As with all of AWARE’s services, WHDA is primarily aimed at women. However, men experiencing gender-based discrimination and harassment (such as being denied the use of flexible work arrangements because caregiving is “not a man’s job”) can use the service as well. Types of discrimination faced by female WHDA clients may include gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, nationality, family responsibilities and maternity; types of harassment may include workplace bullying and workplace sexual harassment, physical and otherwise.
Through its long-running Women’s Helpline, as well as its workplace training arm Catalyse Consulting, AWARE has worked to address unfair treatment and misconduct in workplaces for close to three decades. In 2018, the organisation received a total of 265 calls relating to discrimination and/or harassment at work.
“This is a natural extension of our long-time efforts in this arena, and complements our existing Women’s Care Centre and Sexual Assault Care Centre suite of services,” said Ms Shailey Hingorani, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy. “In our experience, many employees are not aware of the full range of actions available to them in situations of discrimination or harassment. Some fear being identified or labelled as troublemakers. Some are averse to escalating a situation; they simply wish the mistreatment to stop, so they can continue working.”
Currently, there is no other service in Singapore providing confidential, bespoke, holistic support for workplace harassment and discrimination.
“You don’t have to wait to have been terminated to call WHDA,” noted Ms Hingorani. “You don’t even have to be certain that what you’re facing is discrimination or harassment. WHDA will help you make sense of your situation.”
For more information about AWARE’s Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory, click here.
We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.
AWARE is looking for a part-timeAdministrative Assistant for the Secretariat department. The Secretariat Department is the backbone for fundraising, membership management, finance and HR for AWARE, and plays an important role in supporting the whole organisation. This position is suitable for someone strong in organisational and administrative work. If you are accurate, reliable and dependable, we want you.
Position: Administrative Assistant Commitment: Part-Time (4 days a week, Monday to Thursday) Salary Range: $1,928 to $2,968 Starting date: 14 October 2019 Last date of application: 8 October 2019
Job Description
Carry out administrative tasks related to accounts and financial management
Assist with HR and Secretariat administration, including assisting with recruitment and administering employment letters and contracts
Assist with managing and ensuring safety and cleanliness of the centre
Liaise with vendors and suppliers
Assist with administration of donations and membership
Minimum Requirements
At least 3 years experience in providing administrative support to functions such as HR, Accounts, IT, donor and member management
Adept at using Excel to do simple computations
Experience in government IT systems and services
Very strong organisational and administrative skills
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Meticulous and pays strong attention to detail
Comfortable using cloud systems to manage records and workflow processes
Good planning and time-management skills
Able to work independently and has initiative
If you have any questions about this position, please email careers@aware.org.sg.
This post was originally published as a press release on 18 September 2019.
To ensure that the retirement readiness of family caregivers of older persons is not compromised by caregiving, gender-equality group AWARE recommends that caregivers who are still working are given six days of paid eldercare leave and the statutory right to flexible work arrangements; and those who are not working be supported through a CPF and cash grant.
These recommendations were announced today as AWARE launched its latest research report, Make Care Count, which investigates the financial toll that eldercare takes on family caregivers. The report is based on in-depth interviews with 22 family caregivers and validation interviews with 22 stakeholders, including eldercare service providers, academics, and medical social workers.
As caregiving is associated with certain unequal gender norms, more women than men tend to undertake this work. Accordingly, the caregiver respondents featured in “Make Care Count” were all female. They were aged 45-65, without children under the age of 21, and caring for someone older than 65 (typically a parent).
For many older persons in Singapore, being cared for by a family member is a way to age in place, i.e. without being moved into a facility. However, AWARE’s findings show that these caregiving responsibilities compromise a caregiver’s ability to continue working, decreases her income (respondents with employment changes suffered a 63% average loss in income), and expands out-of-pocket care-related expenses to a significant portion of her monthly household income.
Besides paid leave, the right to request flexible work arrangements and the grant (which could match prevailing CPF contribution rates for employers and the salaries of paid care workers), AWARE’s other recommendations include more comprehensive regulation and licensing of private providers of eldercare services, and modifications to Singapore’s CareShield Life long-term insurance scheme.
Ms Shailey Hingorani, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy, said, “Given Singapore’s imminent demographic changes, and the growing family caregiving burden that individuals can expect to face, more action in this arena would be very timely. The filial piety demonstrated by family caregivers is truly something to admire – but we should recognise that devotion alone is not sustainable. It needs to be supported by more concrete assistance from the state.”
“Data on the amount of money spent by family caregivers on providing care and support to their older family members is largely lacking in Singapore,” noted Dr Rahul Malhotra, Assistant Professor and Head of Research at Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School. “This qualitative study contributes in filling an important gap in the research on caregivers of older persons in Singapore.”
Dr Malhotra added that more research on eldercare’s financial impact would be productive and valuable. “Future research studies should strive to estimate both the direct and indirect costs associated with family caregiving using quantitative methods in larger, representative samples of family caregivers.”
Ms Kris Foo, a primary caregiver to her 86-year-old mother, said, “Being single, the role of caregiver in my family has inevitably fallen upon my shoulders. Yet as my savings are used up, and my livelihood threatened, in caring for my mum, I worry about my own ability to age comfortably. I am unsure if I can sustain my self-employment in the years to come, to finance my own future care. Hence, I would appreciate more financial support in the form of caregiver grants.”
Next month, AWARE is organising a public launch for its Make Care Count report at National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s A Good Space. The free event is entitled “Make Care Count… in the National Budget”, and will take place on Saturday 5 October, 2019—shortly after the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October. Participants will be invited to devise care-related recommendations for AWARE to include in its submission to the National Budget in January 2020.
“Are you sure that happened? Why didn’t you fight back? You should have known better.” These are some common responses survivors of sexual assault have heard, which may further their feelings of doubt, guilt and shame.
First response that is sensitive to the survivor’s needs and choices is necessary in preventing re-victimisation. One experience of sexual assault is one experience too many. We may not always know the right words to say, but we can all agree that sexual assault should never happen to anyone.
One way to show zero tolerance for sexual assault is through our own words and actions. It is not always easy for survivors to tell someone about what happened. In fact, for some survivors, it can be especially daunting.
As an individual that they put their trust in, our response becomes pivotal in their journey of recovery. SACC’s First Responder Training helps familiarize participants with trauma reactions and symptoms to better contribute to a survivor’s well-being. In this workshop, SACC will share more on the following:
1. Definition of sexual assault and harassment
2. Recognising Singapore’s legal framework
3. Understanding consent
4. Understanding the impact of sexual assault and trauma on survivors
5. Role of a first responder
6. Providing support to survivors of sexual assault
7. Resources available for help
8. Key skills such as ensuring safety, active listening and empathy
Under AWARE’s #AimForZeroSG campaign, this popular workshop has been made affordable to all. While you are welcome to pay what you can, we suggest a sum of $10 per workshop attendee. Please note that all proceeds to towards SACC and that the donation made towards the workshop is non-refundable.
When: 19 October 2019, 10.00am – 2.30pm [4.5 hours] Where: 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 S(130005) (to be confirmed) For whom: Parents, educators, all NGO/VWO staff and volunteers, social sector professionals or students above 16 years old studying a relevant discipline (e.g. psychology, counselling, social work etc.) Cost: Pay what you can; suggested donation $10 (Light refreshments will be provided)
Persons of all genders and nationalities are more than welcome to attend.
We strongly request that all participants commit to the full duration of the 4.5-hour workshop to ensure that everyone will get the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and learn useful skills.
We all know the woes of Singapore’s ageing population, and the heavy burden of caregiving falling upon younger generations. But have you ever considered how gender factors into this?
Unequal gender norms disproportionately task women with the responsibility of caregiving for older persons in Singapore. Increasingly, these women tend to be a family’s unmarried daughters. They tend to stay out of the workforce for an average of nine years in order to provide care.
These findings are the result of “Make Care Count”, AWARE’s year-long research project on the retirement adequacy of female caregivers for older persons—a qualitative study of 22 caregivers and 22 eldercare industry stakeholders, including academics, service providers, medical social workers, community hospitals, cluster support services, relevant government ministries.
Will these female caregivers be able to save for their own future needs, against increasing odds of ageing into frailty and poorer health? And if not, what can we all do about it?
AWARE has a way for you to help. On 5 October, join us to devise concrete recommendations for AWARE to submit to the 2020 National Budget. These policy recommendations are a great way to ask the Singapore government to recognise and alleviate the financial cost of caregiving that family caregivers bear.
Some ideas we will discuss are:
ensuring a more equal distribution of care,
allowing working caregivers to better balance work and care,
giving financial recognition for caregiving labour, and
reducing caregivers’ out of pocket expenditure on care-related expenses.
Event Schedule:
Presentation of AWARE’s research findings from the “Make Care Count” report
A panel discussion (panelists to be announced)
Facilitated small group discussions. From your experiences, ideas and opinions, we’ll generate a list of budget recommendations. AWARE will then curate and raise these to the government in January 2020.
This event is free, and designed for anyone who believes in supporting caregivers now, before they become crippled by a lack of financial resources in the future. We will all be affected by ageing and distribution of care in Singapore. Have your voice heard in this urgent national discussion.
About A Good Space:
This event is co-hosted with A Good Space, where changemakers flourish as a community to imagine and create experiences that expand perspectives across diverse social issues. From Poverty Simulations to a Feast with Seniors, come learn about a wide range of social issues through innovative activities. To learn more and join the community, visit their website at agoodspace.org
In registering for this event, you consent to the collection and processing of your personal information for the purposes of this event only, in accordance to the Personal Data Protection Act (2012).
