It takes two to tango: living with in-law

• Main Authors: Tay, Alicia Rei Teng, Yap, Dionne Kay Lynn
• Other Authors: Shannon Ang
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Sociology::Family, marriage and women
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168523
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper discusses how married couples negotiate their daily experiences living with their in-laws. Alongside societies undergoing modernization, Singapore becomes an interesting context to look at as it illustrates a society that follows traditional Asian values where intergenerational living is typical/a norm. However, this is contrasted against recent trends of fewer 3-Generational (3G) families. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 married couples, it aims to better understand how ambivalence plays out across generations, within couples, and how it is navigated through conflict avoidance. The findings suggest 3 strategies utilized by couples in their day-to-day interactions: (1) Accommodating, (2) Compartmentalizing and (3) Giving each other space. This study concludes with discussing how these strategies might point to why such trends occur and how this study could be further extended.