The Spaces of Coping: Women and “Poverty” in Singapore

This paper investigates the relationship between space, gender and poverty in the dynamic Pacific Asian economy of Singapore. It argues for the use of coping strategies as an analytical tool for investigating these relationships, highlighting how women construct strategies from confined spaces. Drawing on spatial stories and real life accounts, it examines the ways in which women use the labour market, the family and community services as strategies against poverty. The paper concludes that women struggle to negotiate the constraints of inadequate childcare provision and traditional attitudes, choosing instead to remain in the home or enter “liminal” spaces in the form of Family Service Centres.