Kaur, Divjyot, Chattoraj, Diotima, and Wong, Shuting (2026) Journeying to Belong: Acculturation Experiences of Privileged Migrant Women in Singapore. In: Chattoraj, Diotima, (ed.) Privileged Migrants Across the Globe: Experiences of Inclusion Exclusion and Mobility. Taylor and Francis, Abingdon, UK, pp. 54-76.

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Abstract

Asia has seen rapid growth in the past few decades, and much of the migratory trends in recent years have occurred in Asia. Yet, a few studies have examined the acculturative experiences of privileged migrants in Asia and even less research has explored the acculturative experiences of intraregional migrants in Asia. Singapore has been a hotspot in Southeast Asia for migration, with greater than 40% of the population comprising of migrants. Women make up more than 50% of the international migrant population, and yet, a few studies have examined their acculturative experience. Therefore, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine the acculturative experience of Asian privileged migrant women in Singapore. The aim of the study was to identify factors that help and/or hinder adaptation, with implications for policies and support services to facilitate positive acculturation for migrants. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 12 women aged 28-51 (Mean age = 38.3 years) belonging to different Asian backgrounds (eight from India and four of East Asian descent-Malaysian Chinese, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean). Results showed that majority of the participants reported a positive overall experience with integration being the preferred acculturation strategy, and individual factors of openness, positivity, cultural intelligence, pragmatism, self-identity, and social support emerged as facilitative for positive adaptation in Singapore. These factors led these privileged migrant women to have the feeling of being an insider away from their places of origin.

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