March 28, 2025

Amidst the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual health, deeply ingrained structural inequalities also surfaced, causing different segments of society to experience the social effects of the virus unevenly. In their study ‘Singapore: Families Living in and Through the Pandemic’ (Family Life in the Time of COVID: International Perspectives, 2023), Professor Vineeta Sinha, Associate Professor Narayanan Ganapathy, Associate Professor Daniel Goh, and Pooja Nair (all NUS Sociology and Anthropology) explore these disparities. Despite Singapore’s sound government measures that minimised the overall fallout of the pandemic, the researchers argue that the narrative of resilience should not be oversimplified. Through a qualitative ethnographic study conducted over a year, they document how Singaporean middle-class families navigated the disruptions to their everyday lives during lockdown and beyond, revealing the complex realities behind these policies.

Singapore’s pandemic response was widely seen as successful, with relatively low case numbers and fatalities. This success was supported by world-class public healthcare, a 2020 ‘Circuit Breaker’ lockdown to curb transmissions, an effective National Vaccination Programme and contact tracing system, as well as various financial support packages. The researchers used this context to explore how different families navigated disruptions to social order and established new everyday norms. To adhere to social distancing, they employed digital technologies like social media platforms to conduct interviews and gather data. Their study went beyond traditional family structures, capturing the diverse experiences of various family arrangements, including single-parent households and isolated elderly individuals.

The researchers found that while Singaporean families largely complied with strict state measures, such as mandatory face masks, these measures significantly disrupted daily life and social events. The challenges of balancing personal and professional life at home were exacerbated by work-from-home arrangements, which blurred the boundaries between personal time and work responsibilities. These prolonged work periods proved physically and mentally draining for many. The “new normal” also reinforced traditional gender roles in domestic labour, with women disproportionately bearing the burden of caring for family members and managing childcare. Additionally, maintaining connections with family, especially the elderly, became increasingly difficult during extended lockdowns, negatively impacting the mental well-being of isolated individuals who experienced feelings of uncertainty and helplessness due to the recurring social restrictions. Activities like cooking at home and playing board or card games became common ways for families to bond and create a sense of normalcy.

The article emphasises that while financial and economic impacts have been widely addressed, emotional health and well-being have received less attention. It underscores the need for Singapore to actively address these emotional challenges with adequate resources, thereby informing social policy and responses to the new endemic normal.

Read the article here.