An Overview of Womens Health Issue and the Relevant Government Measures

Singapore has transformed from a poor third world country into a first world one within half a century. The rapid economic development has triggered tremendous social changes, among which are the surging entrance of women in the workforce and their changing roles in the society.

As more and more Singapore women (referring citizens and permanent residents throughout this essay) receive better education and have the desire to work for financialindependence and career advancement, the traditional expectations emphasizing women’s roles and responsibilities within family have imposed great pressure upon them.

Unfortunately, rare research has systematically explored how the family-work conflict affects health in the population of Singapore women. Nor does research investigate whether extant government measures potentially benefiting women’s health have devoted any attention to the family-work conflict.

To partially fill this void, this essay provides a brief review on the issue of Singapore women’s health from the lens of women’s changing roles and relevant government policies and programs. It ends with the argument that more attention should be focused on the family-work conflict to further improve women’s health.

The Lifestyle Change and Health Issue of Women in Singapore

Singapore is located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula with a total land area around 719 km2. This small island-state was founded as a trading port under British colonial rule in the early 19th century and gained independence from the UK in 1963.

Before its total independence in 1965, Singapore merged into the Malaysian Federation for a very short time. Despite almost no natural resources, Singapore has achieved impressive records in the global economy.