Structural vulnerability and neoliberal subjectivities of low-income binational families in Singapore

Abstract

Given the growing interest in and prominence of cross-border marriages in the region, this paper focuses on the binational family consisting of a foreign-born mother and Singapore-born father. In particular, this paper attends to the low-income binational family, showing how certain families in Singapore are more likely to be in structurally vulnerable positions. In outlining how structural vulnerabilities may be intertwining and compounding, forming insurmountable struggles for some these families, this paper pays attention to the neoliberal subjectivities expressed by the spouses, especially the migrant mothers. An individualisation of their problems shapes the way that these families come to naturalise their own disadvantages. In centering the experiences of about a third of 38 low-income binational families that are considered to be the most disadvantaged, this paper also examines the ways that these families are able to carve out pathways to success, if not for themselves, then their children.