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Toxic Masculinity in Singapore: National Service, Sexual Harassment, and the #MeToo Movement

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Abstract

The #MeToo Movement, which originated in the USA against sexual harassment and violence, has caught on in Singapore. This article suggests that the recent debate on toxic masculinity in the country, brought to public attention in a speech by Corinna Lim, chief of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), is an extension of the #MeToo Movement. The debate on toxic masculinity has largely revolved around the issue of whether the mandatory National Service (NS), which all Singaporean men have to perform, is a site of toxic masculinity. This article is a preliminary attempt to connect the dots and examine the implications of the debate for civil society, NS, and women’s activism in contemporary Singapore.

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  1. Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Department of History, Philosophy, and English Literature, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Ying-kit Chan

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Chan, Yk. Toxic Masculinity in Singapore: National Service, Sexual Harassment, and the #MeToo Movement. East Asia 39, 225–238 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-021-09379-6

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