In the past, it was common for wives to stay at home to take care of the house and the children while husbands were the sole breadwinners. However, recently there has not only been the rise in dual-income households, but also stay-at-home dads. Yet, there is still stigma and misconceptions associated with stay-at-home dads. With the change in household roles, how do these husbands grapple with their identity and what can be done better to support stay home dads?

On the second episode of the second season, host and Associate Director at the Institute of Policy Studies Liang Kaixin chats with Kelvin Seah, full-time stay home father of two, and Tam Wai Jia, a medical doctor whose husband left his career to be a stay home father, to talk about some of the challenges they face coming from ‘unconventional’ households, the idea of masculinity and ways to support these families.

Find out more about stay home dads:
TODAY (25 June 2021): My husband is a stay-at-home dad. This is my journey with him as a sole breadwinner
The Straits Times (21 June 2021): Fatherhood: Stay-at-home dad says no one-size-fits-all parenting method
Mothership (20 June 2021): The good, bad & judgy: What I learnt after quiting my job to be a stay-at-home dad in S’pore
TODAY (18 June 2021): It wasn’t easy to convince myself I am ‘masculine and useful’ as a stay-home dad
Institute of Policy Studies (30 Jan 2020): “Stay-at-home” fathers and their families: What lessons for policymakers? 

About our guests:

Kelvin Seah

Writer, Adjunct Lecturer & Stay-at-home Father

Kelvin is a writer, stay home father of two, and adjunct lecturer. He has had a varied career spanning over two decades, with experiences in real estate, tourism, human resource development, corporate communications, training & teaching.

He was previously a civil servant for 5 years before becoming an educator in Vietnam where he taught students English and Tourism Management at Hanoi University and a top private school. Following, he went on to teach Communications and Media Management as a local polytechnic lecturer for 12 years.

In 2019, he left his career to become a full-time stay at home father to spend more time with his two sons but continues to work as an adjunct lecturer. He frequently writes on his personal blog www.kelvinsmusings.com where he shares about his life, parenting and writing. 

Dr Tam Wai Jia

Medical Doctor and Founder of Kitesong Global

Wai Jia is a medical doctor, leader of medical-based philanthropy missions around Asia and author-illustrator. She graduated from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2018.

During her first trip to Nepal in 2005, she met girls who had been abused and abandoned but was deeply inspired by them to write and illustrate a book “Kitesong” which eventually helped raise $100,000 for them. In 2018, she then founded Kitesong Global, an international non-profit organisation that aims to inspire youths to empower vulnerable communities.

She was awarded the Young Outstanding Singaporean Award in 2011 and was also recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s “30 under 30” in 2016. More recently in 2020, she founded Brother SG, a platform that connects migrant workers to healthcare authorities and other organisations in Singapore to deliver risk communication and community engagement for better health.

On Diversity is a podcast inspired by the Institute of Policy Studies Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, we chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

More from On Diversity
Season 1 Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek
Season 1 Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of SanCare Asia
Season 1 Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said
Season 1 Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab
Season 1 Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department.
Season 1 Episode 6: Arts vs Culture, with Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, and Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
Season 1 Episode 7: Empathy and Healthcare, with Dr Mohan Tiru, Senior Consultant Emergency Physician at Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Dr Maleena Suppiah Cavert Deputy Director of Clinical Education at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, NUHS
Season 1 Episode 8: Of Marriage and Migration, with Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, Research Fellow at the Governance and Economy Department at IPS, and Colin Miles, Co-CEO of Zilliqa Research Pte Ltd
Season 1 Episode 9: Tech and the Token Female, with Anna Gong, CEO and Founder of Perx Technologies, and Wynthia Goh, Head of NCS NEXT Digital
Season 2 Episode 1: Conversations about Race, with Dr Daniel Goh, Associate Professor of Sociology at NUS, and Haresh Tilani, Co-founder of Ministry of Funny

In the past, it was common for wives to stay at home to take care of the house and the children while husbands were the sole breadwinners. However, recently there has not only been the rise in dual-income households, but also stay-at-home dads. Yet, there is still stigma and misconceptions associated with stay-at-home dads. With the change in household roles, how do these husbands grapple with their identity and what can be done better to support stay home dads?
On the second episode of the second season, host and Associate Director at the Institute of Policy Studies Liang Kaixin chats with Kelvin Seah, full-time stay home father of two, and Tam Wai Jia, a medical doctor whose husband left his career to be a stay home father, to talk about some of the challenges they face coming from &lsquo;unconventional&rsquo; households, the idea of masculinity and ways to support these families.
Find out more about stay home dads:
<ul>
<li>TODAY (25 June 2021): <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/my-husband-stay-home-dad-journey-with-sole-breadwinner-parenting">My husband is a stay-at-home dad. This is my journey with him as a sole breadwinner</a></li>
<li>The Straits Times (21 June 2021): <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/fatherhood-stay-at-home-dad-says-no-one-size-fits-all-parenting-method">Fatherhood: Stay-at-home dad says no one-size-fits-all parenting method</a></li>
<li>Mothership (20 June 2021): <a href="https://mothership.sg/2021/06/stay-at-home-father-vince-sales/">The good, bad &amp; judgy: What I learnt after quiting my job to be a stay-at-home dad in S&rsquo;pore</a></li>
<li>TODAY (18 June 2021): <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/wasnt-easy-convince-myself-i-was-masculine-useful-stay-home-dad">It wasn&rsquo;t easy to convince myself I am &lsquo;masculine and useful&rsquo; as a stay-home dad</a></li>
<li>Institute of Policy Studies (30 Jan 2020): <a href="https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips/news/details/stay-at-home-fathers-and-their-families-what-lessons-for-policymakers">&ldquo;Stay-at-home&rdquo; fathers and their families: What lessons for policymakers?</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
About our guests:
Kelvin Seah
Writer, Adjunct Lecturer &amp; Stay-at-home Father
Kelvin is a writer, stay home father of two, and adjunct lecturer. He has had a varied career spanning over two decades, with experiences in real estate, tourism, human resource development, corporate communications, training &amp; teaching.
He was previously a civil servant for 5 years before becoming an educator in Vietnam where he taught students English and Tourism Management at Hanoi University and a top private school. Following, he went on to teach Communications and Media Management as a local polytechnic lecturer for 12 years.
In 2019, he left his career to become a full-time stay at home father to spend more time with his two sons but continues to work as an adjunct lecturer. He frequently writes on his personal blog <a href="http://www.kelvinsmusings.com">www.kelvinsmusings.com</a> where he shares about his life, parenting and writing.&nbsp;
Dr Tam Wai Jia
Medical Doctor and Founder of Kitesong Global
Wai Jia is a medical doctor, leader of medical-based philanthropy missions around Asia and author-illustrator. She graduated from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2018.
During her first trip to Nepal in 2005, she met girls who had been abused and abandoned but was deeply inspired by them to write and illustrate a book &ldquo;Kitesong&rdquo; which eventually helped raise $100,000 for them. In 2018, she then founded Kitesong Global, an international non-profit organisation that aims to inspire youths to empower vulnerable communities.
She was awarded the Young Outstanding Singaporean Award in 2011 and was also recognized as one of Forbes Asia&rsquo;s &ldquo;30 under 30&rdquo; in 2016. More recently in 2020, she founded Brother SG, a platform that connects migrant workers to healthcare authorities and other organisations in Singapore to deliver risk communication and community engagement for better health.
On Diversity is a podcast inspired by the Institute of Policy Studies Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, we chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
More from On Diversity
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e1-the-cancelled-the-woke/">Season 1 Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e2-reclaiming-dementia/">Season 1 Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of SanCare Asia</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e3-what-is-multiculturalism/">Season 1 Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e4-diversity-and-the-singapore-media/">Season 1 Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e5-sex-and-people-with-disabilities/">Season 1 Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e6-art-vs-culture/">Season 1 Episode 6: Arts vs Culture, with Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, and Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade &ndash; Theatres on the Bay.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e7-empathy-healthcare/">Season 1 Episode 7: Empathy and Healthcare, with Dr Mohan Tiru, Senior Consultant Emergency Physician at Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Dr Maleena Suppiah Cavert Deputy Director of Clinical Education at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, NUHS</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e8-of-marriage-and-migration/">Season 1 Episode 8: Of Marriage and Migration, with Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, Research Fellow at the Governance and Economy Department at IPS, and Colin Miles, Co-CEO of Zilliqa Research Pte Ltd</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s1e9-tech-and-the-token-female/">Season 1 Episode 9: Tech and the Token Female, with Anna Gong, CEO and Founder of Perx Technologies, and Wynthia Goh, Head of NCS NEXT Digital</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ipscommons.sg/ips-on-diversity-podcast-s2e1-conversations-about-race/">Season 2 Episode 1: Conversations about Race, with Dr Daniel Goh, Associate Professor of Sociology at NUS, and Haresh Tilani, Co-founder of Ministry of Funny</a></li>
</ul>

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.

In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.
In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
On Diversity features new episodes every week.

IPS On Diversity Podcast

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

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