Singaporean Malay-Muslim Women's Lifestyle Habits and Attitudes towards Health

Abstract

This article examines how the intersections of Singaporean Malay-Muslim women’s religious and gendered subjectivities influence their lifestyle habits and health attitudes. It explores the gaps between their practices, perspectives and discourses that discuss Islam’s relevance in health educational programmes. Individual semi-structured interviews with 19 local women of diverse social backgrounds show that while Islam is influential in their health conceptions, this is limited to the self-internalisation of theologically-based discourses. Discussions on how positive gender relations based on Islamic values can contribute to women’s health outcomes are lacking in their narratives, existing academic literature and public discourses. A comprehensive approach to leveraging religious concepts in advocating good health for Muslims should also include women’s empowerment and improvement of gender relations.