Does Class Matter? : Social Stratification and Orientations in Singapore

by Ser, Tan Ern

• ISBN13: 9789812388292
• ISBN10: 981238829X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-31
• Publisher: World Scientific Pub Co Inc

Summary

This book provides a comprehensive portrait of class structure, dynamics, and orientations in Singapore--understood as a new nation, a capitalist and emerging knowledge economy, a largely middle-class society, and a polity with a strong state--at the turn of the new millennium. It introduces a wide array of recent data on a broad range of topics relating to social stratification in Singapore: class structure, political participation, political alienation, national pride, welfarism, success values, unionism, social mobility, the digital divide, and the sandwich generation. To capture the lived experiences of people from different social classes, thereby complementing the numerous tables presented, the book also profiles six case studies of individuals or families, highlighting the challenges they face and the options they possess.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Singapore: Market Economy and Meritocratic, Middle-Class Society?	1	(6)
Methodology: Questionnaire, Sampling, and Fieldwork	7	(2)
Singapore Class Structure	9	(11)
Social Orientations by Class, Age, and Ethnicity	20	(27)
Work Career and Social Mobility	47	(12)
Problem Areas: Digital Divide and Sandwich Generation	59	(7)
1-to-2 Roomers, 3-Roomers, and Citizen Population Compared	66	(17)
Conclusion: Does Class Matter in Singapore?	83	(4)
Appendix I Six Case Studies	87	(23)
Appendix II Opinion Research Questionnaire	110	(17)
Bibliography	127	(2)
Index	129