Can I get a male maid in Singapore?

Male maids are not common in Singapore primarily due to regulatory restrictions and societal norms. The topic was discussed back in 2016 on The Straits Times. The key reasons are:

  1. Regulatory restrictions by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on hiring male foreign domestic workers (FDWs). MOM only allows hiring of male FDWs under exceptional circumstances, such as for elderly male employers who require assistance with personal care. The default requirement is that FDWs must be female. More details can be found here.
  2. Societal norms and perceptions that domestic work is traditionally a female domain. There is a perception that male domestic workers may not be suitable or comfortable performing certain household chores and caregiving duties.
  3. Concerns from maid agencies about potential issues with hiring untrained male helpers, such as the risk of physical abuse due to their larger physique compared to female helpers.

So in summary, a combination of regulatory policies, traditional gender norms around domestic work, and concerns from agencies about hiring untrained male helpers have resulted in very few male foreign domestic workers being employed in Singapore households.

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