3. Precarity and Agency within Relationships in the South Asian Foreign Domestic Worker Community

Project Synopsis

There is a growing body of work seeking to understand the challenges of the FDW community in Singapore. As researchers have highlighted, the private nature of their work often leaves them vulnerable to maltreatment. The maltreatment could manifest in terms of being denied certain fundamental rights and is partially attributed to the lack of a rigorous employment act that protects low-wage domestic workers. These narratives of violence are not new and have been documented by scholars over the years.

What is lesser-known, however, is the perspectives of South Asian FDWs and the unique challenges they face. South Asian FDWs are often left out of the conversation due to their diversity, sparsity, and poorer command of English that make accessing this data challenging. This lack of visibility places them in a more precarious position compared to other FDW communities who predominantly hail from Indonesia and the Philippines. Hence, it is critical to shed light on their unique experiences as a smaller minority within a minority group. This goes beyond the singular focus on employers’ behaviour, to recognise the role of various stakeholders, including that of South Asian FDWs.

By understanding and thereafter, differentiating the South Asian FDWs from the broader FDW community, we hope that governmental and non-governmental organisations can better support this less visible group.

Keerthi Ganesh Nagatharan | FASS, Geography '21
Loo Min Shuen | FASS, Psychology '22
Samihah Niquat Safeel | FASS, Political Science '22
Samira Hassan | FASS, Global Studies '23

Partner Organisation
South Asian Migrant Workers