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What was life like for the Samsui Women in the 1930s:!?: - Coggle Diagram
What was life like for the Samsui Women in the 1930s:!?:
What were their living conditions?
Source A states that:
The Samsui Woman lived in rented shophouses.
Each night, the Samsui woman would sleep in hammocks.
I can infer that the Samsui Woman were poor and did not have proper living conditions.
The Samsui Woman did not have their own house and they had to rent shophouses.
The fact that they had to sleep on hammocks shows that they did not have proper beds for basic sleeping.
Source B states that:
Each room in the shophouse was divided into 4 cubicles.
Each room had 4 or more Samsui Woman living in it.
I can infer that the housing conditions for the Samsui Woman were poor.
Living in one room was already very cramped but one room was split into 4 cubicles and one or more Samsui woman would live in each cubicle.
What were their working conditions?
Source C states that:
Samsui women carried bricks and cement, dehusked coconuts and even dug water storage pit manually. Many had swollen shoulders and injuries due to the heavy loads and accidents at the construction or job sites and they were often scolded by their supervisors.
I can infer that samsui women were not fussy with their jobs as they did all sorts of labour-intensive jobs to make more money. I can also infer that their working life was tough as they had to work long hours under harsh environment.
Source D states that: Samsui women were paid 50 cents per day and had pay deduction or no pay during rainy days. They had to set off early to work by foot and would continue working when sick.
I can infer that Samsui women were lowly-paid and thrifty. They were hardworking as they would brew herbal tea or self medicate when sick and continue to work.
What was the Samsui Woman work and social life?
Source E states "An elderly Samsui Women was bending down and carrying a heavy log with another Samsui Woman in the picture."
I can infer from the source that the Samsui Woman had to work tirelessly even though they were old so that they could earn money for their family.
Source F states "A group of Samsui Woman working in a construction yard carrying heavy items.
I can infer form the source that the work for Samsui Woman was physically demanding and tiring as they had to carry heavy items which were bigger than them.
Source G states that "When the first MRT train took off on 7 November 1987 at Toa Payoh station, three Samsui Women who helped build the Bishan station were also invited along for the journey. Many National Day Parades have also included costumes and storylines related to the Samsui Woman, including an honorary march-past by the former Samsui Women at the 1980 edition."
After looking at this source, I can infer that these Samsui Women were treated well by Singapore. They looked happy in this photo as they were invited to take the first MRT ride.
Samsui women's dressing
Source h states
samsui women donned an iconic red headdress from which was derived their other name -- 红头巾 (red headdress).
The bright red enabled them to be visible on busy and dangerous construction sites.
Therefore, i can infer that the Samsui women were cautious and poor as they wore a samfoo which do not stain easily. They wear this so that they don't have to spend money to replace it.
In addition their red headdress, they'd also don a black/blue blouse and pants set called a samfoo which did not stain easily.