S'pore woman gets flak for room setup with small space for helper in 4-room BTO

Thinking her post might resonate with homeowners facing space constraints, a woman in Singapore took to Instagram to share how she carved out a private space for her helper in a 4-room BTO flat.

However, the post received much criticism from netizens so much so that she had since deleted the original post.

She has since posted a clarification to explain her intent and apologised for coming across as "insensitive" in her original post.

Limited space

In the original post, the woman wrote that she and her husband thought about where their helper would sleep in their 4-room flat and whether she would have any privacy.

This was the first slide of the now-deleted Instagram post:

She then added that they "successfully squeezed in a single bed" in a room with a work desk setup.

A divider was added to provide the helper with some privacy.

The couple considered installing a curtain but ended up went with a divider, which was an easier option for them.

The woman shared this consideration in an Instagram story, with a link to where she bought the divider from.

She also shared that she got her helper a mini night light as she did not want something that would take up space on the floor.

She ended the post with this slide:

Criticism

The post clearly wasn't well received, drawing many negative reactions on Reddit and X.

The woman definitely did not expect her post to backfire which led to her deleting the original post.

Clarification

She also uploaded a clarification post with a black square image.

In the caption, she said that she "realised [her] previous post didn't give enough context" and "understand why some people felt uncomfortable with what they saw".

She went on to apologise if the post "came across as insensitive or as though [their] helper is confined to the small space behind the divider."

She explained it was not the intention and she should have explained it better.

The woman clarified that the work desk was for the day, and once the day ended, the room would be for the helper, as they did not need the room after that.

If they need to work after hours, they will use the desk outside.

She added that at night, the room is entirely the helper's, and they do not enter without knocking.

Regarding the divider, she said that because they share the room, they felt the helper should "at least have a visual barrier so her belongings and personal space aren't constantly exposed to us".

They felt this arrangement was better than the helper sharing a room with the baby who still wakes up occasionally at night and may disturb her sleep and rest.

Lastly, the woman said that space is genuinely a difficult constraint for them and it's not her intent to portray this as "luxurious setup".

Due to "housing regulations and [their] circumstances", moving to a bigger place is currently not an option for them.

"We know that sharing a room isn’t ideal, and we’re not trying to portray it as some luxurious setup. We just wanted to make the best arrangement we could within the space and circumstances we have."

The woman concluded that the "biggest" thing she failed to communicate in her original post was that the helper was not "confined to the space behind the divider" and she gets the whole room to use during her personal time.

"I shared the original post because I know many Singapore families face the same challenge of trying to accommodate a helper in a smaller home and I apologise if it offended anyone."

She has since limited the comments on her Instagram post.