The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) and Singapore's Patriarchal Society: An Analysis Utilizing Gramsci's Theory of Hegemony
Keywords:
Patriarchy, Confucianism, Association of Women for Action and Research, Asian Values, SingaporeAbstract
Singapore is a patriarchal society in which the status of women is inferior to that of men. This condition stimulated the establishment of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) with the mission of promoting gender equality in Singapore. This article has two objectives. First, it examines a pattern of male domination and control over AWARE. Second, it studies how the association plays its bargaining roles under the patriarchal circumstance. Applying Gramsci's theory of hegemony, the study shows that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has embraced the patriarchal tradition by adhering to Asian values and Confucianism to maintain its legitimate power based on the ruler–subject relationship. In response, AWARE has resorted to a conciliatory rather than an approach of direct resistance to the patriarchal state through the implementation of three main strategies: providing necessary aid to women and girls, positioning its neutrality between women and the state, and producing useful research for the government to resolve women-related issues.
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