I agree with Baked Bean's perception of it being more of a cultural thing within certain races here.

I always say Singapore is a big, shiny city with the attitudes of a medieval village! (It's still possible to discriminate in job adverts on grounds of race, sex etc - even in adverts for homes to rent.)

That said - I loved our time in Singapore (almost 4 years) - so please don't be put off by what we're saying - it's a great place to live in many ways - but definitely a bit behind the times in modern thinking!