Coping Through Reproducing State Ideology: Working Poor Families in Singapore

In much of the developed world, a class of working poor has emerged. No longer is poverty confined to the lowest educated or those who are unable to work. Today, with limited job availability and wage stagnation among lower-income earners, families are working and yet poor. This class of low-wage families has prompted the Singapore government, known for its emphasis on self-reliance, to roll out programmes to help such families meet their needs. This study examines how recipients of a government assistance programme, the Work Support Programme, cope with their financial challenges by engaging in impression management strategies, much needed for them to maintain their self-esteem. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews with 56 participants which were part of a larger research study of over 800 families, we demonstrate the ideological formulations they utilise in discussing both their current challenges and how they cope with poverty. Four themes were identified: (1) the ideologies of self-reliance, (2) family as the main social safety net, (3) the importance of self-discipline and (4) the primacy of children. In this process, we examine the extent that ideologies formulated by the state are replayed among the working poor in Singapore and how their use allows the working poor to demonstrate some semblance of self-respect, despite their financially difficult circumstances.