A study mama is a

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

an term describing foreign women who accompany their children to

to benefit from its education system by receiving primary and secondary-level education. The study mama phenomenon began around 2000, after the Singaporean government relaxed its immigration policies to allow more foreigners to study or work in the country. Most often, these study mamas are from

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

, where they are also known as péidú māmā (陪读妈妈), but nationalities from other countries such as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

has also been observed.

Overview

Introduction

The

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is a law-enforcement command within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the border control agency responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in Singapore. ICA w ...

(ICA) of Singapore possesses records that suggest that there were at least 10,300 study mamas of various nationalities, with two-thirds of the study mamas in Singapore in July 2005 coming from mainland China. Of these 6,800 study mamas, only 1,500 have been issued work permits. Most working study mamas are employed in the service sector.

Jobs

In an article in China's ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...

'', it is estimated that peidu mamas require

RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...

¥1 million (approx S$217,000) of living and education expenses for their child to receive education from Primary 1 to Secondary 4 in Singapore. Subsequently, the Singaporean government will allow them to come to Singapore, primarily to accompany their children during their studies here. Peidu mamas are only allowed to obtain work permits after staying in Singapore for a year and are permitted to work in certain service sectors only.

Restrictions

The government places restrictions on the employment of study mamas, arguing that their primary purpose of stay here is to take care of their children. Hence, they should not be working, especially not as hostesses in bars or

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s at night. They are not allowed to work at food stalls, but can work in other services industries if a permit was given.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Study Mama Academic pressure in East Asian culture China–Singapore relations Singaporean culture Education in Singapore Immigration to Singapore Maternity in Singapore

Overview

Introduction

Jobs

Restrictions

See also

References