Low fertility rates and an aging population challenge
the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporea... more Low fertility rates and an aging population challenge the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporean government therefore encourages singles to marry and have children. Using ethnographic data and interviews (N=28), collected between August and December 2012, this explorative study examined the relationship between government interference and the love lives of young, well-educated, single women in Singapore. Getting married is expected not only by the state, friends, and family members but also by singles themselves. The author examined how young women view and experience these social ideals in their daily lives. Foucault’s (1982, 1984) idea of governmentality and Budgeon’s (2008) idea of couple culture were used to investigate how government policies intervene in the romantic relationships of individuals through various channels, such as the housing policy, matchmaking initiatives, and social norms. The government may effectively affect individuals in certain ways, whereas at other times individuals may act in a manner that is opposite to what the government expects.
Low fertility rates and an aging population challenge
the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporea... more Low fertility rates and an aging population challenge the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporean government therefore encourages singles to marry and have children. Using ethnographic data and interviews (N=28), collected between August and December 2012, this explorative study examined the relationship between government interference and the love lives of young, well-educated, single women in Singapore. Getting married is expected not only by the state, friends, and family members but also by singles themselves. The author examined how young women view and experience these social ideals in their daily lives. Foucault’s (1982, 1984) idea of governmentality and Budgeon’s (2008) idea of couple culture were used to investigate how government policies intervene in the romantic relationships of individuals through various channels, such as the housing policy, matchmaking initiatives, and social norms. The government may effectively affect individuals in certain ways, whereas at other times individuals may act in a manner that is opposite to what the government expects.
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the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporean
government therefore encourages singles
to marry and have children. Using ethnographic
data and interviews (N=28), collected between
August and December 2012, this explorative
study examined the relationship between government
interference and the love lives of young,
well-educated, single women in Singapore. Getting
married is expected not only by the state,
friends, and family members but also by singles
themselves. The author examined how young
women view and experience these social ideals
in their daily lives. Foucault’s (1982, 1984)
idea of governmentality and Budgeon’s (2008)
idea of couple culture were used to investigate
how government policies intervene in the romantic
relationships of individuals through various
channels, such as the housing policy, matchmaking
initiatives, and social norms. The government
may effectively affect individuals in certain
ways, whereas at other times individuals may act
in a manner that is opposite to what the government
expects.
the city-state of Singapore. The Singaporean
government therefore encourages singles
to marry and have children. Using ethnographic
data and interviews (N=28), collected between
August and December 2012, this explorative
study examined the relationship between government
interference and the love lives of young,
well-educated, single women in Singapore. Getting
married is expected not only by the state,
friends, and family members but also by singles
themselves. The author examined how young
women view and experience these social ideals
in their daily lives. Foucault’s (1982, 1984)
idea of governmentality and Budgeon’s (2008)
idea of couple culture were used to investigate
how government policies intervene in the romantic
relationships of individuals through various
channels, such as the housing policy, matchmaking
initiatives, and social norms. The government
may effectively affect individuals in certain
ways, whereas at other times individuals may act
in a manner that is opposite to what the government
expects.