Wet market culture : a slippery slope in Singapore

• Main Authors: Cheong, Shi Min, Koo, Joxanne Li Ching
• Other Authors: Ian Rowen
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Social stratification; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Communities, classes and races
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/78843
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The effects of modernisation have altered Singaporeans’ way of life and their retailing styles. One of the distressed sectors is the wet market. With the rising demand and expectation for efficiency, wet markets are slowly being pushed out of the fresh food industry. This has threatened the continuity of the wet market sector in the years to come. The aim of this paper is to find out why the younger generation avoid succeeding their family’s wet market businesses through studying the changes in Singaporeans’ lifestyle over the years. Views from current wet market hawkers, their children, and the government were observed to understand the changing landscape of wet markets in Singapore. This paper will cover wet market hawkers as an occupation, the change in food retailing style and career demands of younger generation, as well as the future of wet markets in Singapore.