Redefining Womanhood

(Photo taken by: Rebecca Helena Chelsea Dcruz) 

When 22-year-old Rebecca Helena Chelsea Dcruz decided to put her tertiary education on hold to care for her newborn son, the decision was met with many raised eyebrows— even from close friends. "People assumed I had given up,” she recalls. “They thought I’d be stuck at home forever.” But nearly two years into motherhood, Rebecca sees things differently. “Being a stay-at-home mum taught me resilience. It’s full-time work too, just unpaid and often invisible.” 

Across Singapore, young women like Rebecca are confronting long-held expectations about womanhood and domesticity. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, the number of female residents aged 21 to 24 outside the labour force rose from 25,600 in 1990 to 46,700 in 2024, with a notable dip to 36,100 in 2021, possibly due to pandemic-related shifts. While some of these women may have stepped out of the workforce to pursue education, many are mothers—pausing, adapting, and planning for re-entry on their own terms.  

According to Mr Umardani Umle, a Humanities Lecturer and Programme Lead at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies, policies such as paid maternity leave, the Work-Life Grant, as well as guidelines under the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), supports young mothers by encouraging employers to offer flexible work arrangements and hire without employer bias. This allows young mothers to balance caregiving with career continuity and re-entry without prejudices. However, cultural narratives, especially those surrounding young motherhood, continue to evolve more slowly.  

“Social stigma persists, particularly for younger mothers who are often stereotyped as irresponsible or unprepared,” noted Mr Umar. 2021 research by Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) further confirms that caregiving duties remain a significant barrier to workforce re-entry, especially in industries lacking flexible arrangements. 

Regardless, many now see caregiving not as an endpoint, but as one chapter in a larger, multifaceted life. “Many young mothers return to education or re-enter the workforce successfully, especially when supported by accessible childcare, flexible learning pathways, and skills-upgrading initiatives,” says Mr Umar.  

For Rebecca, motherhood and ambition are not mutually exclusive. “I have been enrolled to PSP Academy to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Radiography next year,” she says. “Not because I’m done being a mum, but because I know I can be both a mother and a working professional.” 

In a few years' time, Rebecca will rejoin the workforce after graduating. According to the Ministry of Manpower, women aged 25 to 29 outside the labour force decreased significantly—from 35,100 to just 8,200 from 1990 to 2025.

“I might’ve stepped away from working for a while,” Rebecca says, “but that doesn’t mean I stopped dreaming. I’m still building a future, just with my child by my side.”