SINGAPORE: A man felt disappointed after one of his female colleagues made a sarcastic remark upon learning that he would be away for a two-week reservice cycle.
Instead of showing understanding or support, she quipped, “I wish I were going for reservice too,” implying that it was an easy break rather than a duty to the nation.
The man said it was then that he realised ‘that Singaporean women have zero appreciation for their fellow Singaporean men who have to go through National Service (NS) and reservice.’
“Absolutely zero. Instead, I have to face sarcastic, guilt-tripping comments from my female colleagues,” he said. He further added that Singaporean women “have it good” since they are free from gender roles.
“They have no NS obligations; many are childless, hence no child-raising obligations. Singaporean women are free to be anything they want to be. They are free to be as hedonistic as materialistic as they want to be. Society doesn’t expect them to dress conservatively, live conservatively, have kids, etc.,” he explained.
“In fact, they are also free from any obligations to Singapore, as they are exempt from conscription, they likely have the privilege to flee the country if things take a turn for the worse,” he continued.
“We lost 2 years of our career progression, and yet, we are still required to be (the) provider of our household…”
The man’s post sparked a lively discussion on Reddit. Many users agreed that NS does place an unfair burden on men.
One user said, “It is a twisted nightmare—forced conscription for men, zero obligations for women, and on top of that, women get tax benefits while men are left with nothing.”
Another commented, “Thank you for your service; as an ex-regular and serviceman, people who don’t serve do not understand what we have gone through and sacrificed. We lost 2 years of our career progression, and yet, we are still required to be (the) provider of our household.”
Meanwhile, a third user jumped in with a cheeky suggestion, urging the man to clap back with, “Oh, didn’t you know? Females can volunteer for NS, too. It’s called the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) Volunteer Corps. I can send you the application if you’re interested.”
Still, not everyone agreed with the man’s take. Some users felt it was unfair of him to generalise and criticise all Singaporean women based on one colleague’s sarcastic remark.
One user said, “Nah, don’t generalise women just because of one exception. It’s unfair to the rest who don’t think this way.” Another added, “Read between the lines. She just wishes to be away from work for two weeks.”
In other news, a worried employer sought help on social media after their longtime helper secretly borrowed money from a loan shark.
Posting on the r/asksingapore subreddit on Thursday (Feb 27), the employer shared that their helper, who has been with them “for over 10 years and is basically a member of the family”, took a loan of $XXX from a loan shark without informing them.
“She gave our personal details (address, names) to him as he asked for them when she was taking the loan,” the employer said.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)