I read an article recently blaming the “Singapore material girls” for the low birth rate of Singapore. It quoted an SMU study which showed that Singapore women are way more materialistic than those from other countries.
“When it comes to looking for a potential spouse, the top criterion for Singaporean women is a man’s social status. Next on the list is kindness, followed by a lively personality. In contrast, American women value kindness the most, followed by looks, then a man’s social standing.” – said the article.
First of all, the people polled were all from SMU. So isn’t this study significantly biased? SMU students, I feel, are different from students from other Universities. They are more business-centric, which means dollars and cents matter more to them. It is certainly not a representative view blanketing all Singapore women. Secondly, it is seriously offensive to say that all women are more materialistic and looking for social symbols.That is to say we have no abilities or competencies of our own to establish ourselves in society and that we are still living in a traditional world where we are dependent on men for survival. Please, we are not in the 1950s any longer, we can love a man without checking out the size of his wallet first.
Sure, status is nice to have. A fat wallet and a great car is a nice thrill. But it is not a defining factor for most of us. To me at least, even if a dude is the son of some reigning empire here, if he is a boring old sod or an arrogant playboy, it is still a deal-breaker. Who would want to live with splashes of money without intellectual conversations? Without a sense of humour, or someone with passion for his work? I would much rather go for wit, for love of life, for dedication, for attentiveness – all those things you can’t pay to have, even if you tried.
Women here, well at least a lot of them, are not superficial creatures. We can get our own bags/car/jewellery, thank you very much. It is quite ridiculous when people attempt to lump all of us together in a silly survey and go: “There! Women are materialistic here! Blame em!” This just serves to perpetuate the stereotypes Singapore MEN have of us, and you know what, I think THAT is the reason for the low birth rates. That men don’t have the confidence to get a Singapore woman because they read into these perceptions and thus shun us. So we are left conquering the world on our own.
Think about that.
dancingredheels: A writer, not a speaker. 