Men and Gender Inequality: Examining male perceptions and experiences of gender discrimination in the Singaporean workplace

• Main Author: Ling, Liren
• Other Authors: Sun Hsiao-Li Shirley
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/70042
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper aims to validate the hypothesis that young male working professionals underestimate the magnitude of gender discrimination in the Singaporean workplace. Through a qualitative examination of how they perceive and experience workplace gender discrimination, the paper seeks to understand male gender attitudes and bring to awareness the social contexts that produce gender inequality. The findings suggest that young male working professionals often fail to recognize workplace gender discrimination unless it was too pervasive to be ignored. They also erroneously believe that working mothers make a personal choice to leave the workforce independent of societal pressures. Such problematic attitudes stem from a combination of gender stereotypes reinforced by military conscription and labour policies promoting female participation in the workforce. Nevertheless, cultural shifts in Singapore have contributed to an increased willingness by males to undertake more household responsibilities. This helps to mitigate the systemic barriers faced by women in the workplace.