What's it like being a stay-home dad in Singapore?

Three years as a stay-home dad now, kid just started K1. The practical side is fine, I run the house, cooking, the medical appointments, the whole logistics. The hard part in Singapore is social. At the playground and the parent meetups it's 90% mums and aunties, and initially they didn't know how to place me. Some relatives kept asking when I'd go back to real work, as if raising my child isn't work. My own dad struggled with it. What kept me steady was my wife's full support and honestly seeing my kid thrive. Financially we planned it, we live on one income deliberately. It's isolating at times, but I wouldn't trade the bond I have with my child. It gets easier as you find your people.

Let me give the balanced reality. Being a SAHD in SG is rewarding but be prepared for three things. One, financial pressure on single income, we had to relook insurance and cut a lot. Two, the loneliness, weekdays you're the only guy around, I joined a dads' group which saved me. Three, re-entering the workforce later, the gap on my CV raised eyebrows and I had to explain it. That said, my son is 5 now and our relationship is something my own father and I never had. Society is slowly changing here, more dads doing it. If your wife earns more and you both agree, do it, but plan the finances and your social support properly first.

Did it for 18 months then went back to part-time. My honest experience, the identity hit was bigger than I expected. In Singapore so much of male social standing is tied to your job and salary, so at gatherings when people ask what you do, there's an awkward beat. I had to make peace with that. Practically, it was the hardest job I've done, harder than my corporate role, no lunch break, no ORD. But the payoff, I know my daughter in a way many fathers never get to. If you do it, find other caregiver dads or online groups, the isolation is the real enemy, not the work itself.