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Perceptions of remarriage by widowed people in Singapore
- Author:
- MEHTA Kalyani K.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing International, 27(4), December 2003, pp.93-107.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
A study of attitudes to remarriage in later life among different ethnic groups in Singapore provides a counterpoint to studies in the West and illustrates the importance of cultural attitudes and religious beliefs. A survey of elderly Chinese, Malay, and Indian widows and widowers shows them overwhelmingly negative or indifferent to ideas of remarriage, although there are some variations by ethnic group and gender. There is a strong tradition in Asia of incorporating the widowed parent into a multigenerational family household, and views of adult children towards remarriage, presumed to be hostile to the remarriage of a parent, are given considerable salience. It is not generally thought appropriate for elderly people to have or express sexual needs and a marriage partnership may not be seen as ended by the death of a partner.
Values, change and inter-generational ties between two generations of women in Singapore
- Authors:
- TEO Peggy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 23(3), May 2003, pp.327-347.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Personal values are framed by social contexts and carried through a person's lifecourse, but are sufficiently malleable to adapt to changing conditions. The dynamic character of personal values should be more frequently recognised in studies of inter-generational ties. This study examines the relationships between two generations of Singaporean women and their divergent values about gender roles, preference for the gender of children, family formation, care-giving and living arrangements. Younger women embrace more western views, while their older counterparts uphold Confucian values. Previous studies have tended to characterise inter-generational ties as conveying 'conflict' or 'solidarity', but here the concept of 'ambivalence' is employed to show that contradictory values co-exist, and that inter-generational ties encapsulate the negotiated outcome of complex attitudes, values and aspirations.
Cultural scripts and the social integration of older people
- Author:
- MEHTA Kalyani
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 17(3), May 1997, pp.253-275.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The cultural strategies for the social integration of older people within their families of the three major ethnic groups in Singapore, the Chinese, Malays and Indians, is the focus of this article. Analysis of data reveals three underlying principles, namely, reciprocity, elders as transmitters of cultural heritage, and the social significance of auspicious days and festivals. Taken together, the principles and strategies indicate the salient impact of cultural factors on the subjective experience of old age.