White Paper on fertility and child development in the works as Singapore pushes to reverse birth rate decline
The research effort comes as minister Indranee Rajah says policymakers are focused on three key barriers: financial costs, parenting stress and time scarcity.
by Ang Hwee Min · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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SINGAPORE: Researchers are working on a White Paper with policy recommendations on fertility and child development to be shared with the government as it seeks to reverse Singapore's falling birth rates.
The paper will be jointly developed by the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Soo Lin School of Medicine and the Population Association of Singapore, and submitted to the newly formed Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup when ready, the university announced on Thursday (May 21).
The workgroup, which will examine factors affecting marriage and parenthood in Singapore, is expected to release its findings in early 2027.
Singapore's total fertility rate hit a record low of 0.87 in 2024, down from 0.97 the year before.
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Speaking at the association's annual conference, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, who heads the workgroup, said policymakers are focused on three issues: financial support, the perceived stress of raising children and time scarcity.
The workgroup is examining the costs families face at different stages of raising children, she said.
On the growing sentiment that Singapore is not a conducive environment for raising children, Ms Indranee said addressing perceived stress would require a more holistic approach. The government plans to engage students, parents, teachers and academics to explore ways to ease the education "arms race", she added.
Time scarcity, she said, is the hardest issue to tackle because it involves "the tension between two good things".
“On one hand, Singaporeans work hard and strive for excellence, and this has helped us progress as a society and country,” said Ms Indranee. “But the pursuit of achievement can sometimes come at the expense of rest, well-being, and having ample time and space to pursue life goals beyond work including marriage and parenthood.”
The challenge, she said, is not choosing one over the other but managing the tension between them.
COGNITIVE GAINS, BEHAVIOURAL RISKS
Research presented at the conference found that better workplace policies, shifting gender norms and stronger community support are needed to improve children's development outcomes and Singapore's fertility outlook.
One study found that children placed in non-parental care – such as infant care centres or with grandparents – in their first 18 months showed stronger cognitive development between the ages of three and six. But they also faced a higher risk of behavioural problems.
The reason, said Professor Jean Yeung, who heads the Population Association of Singapore, is that extended non-parental care raises parental stress, which in turn affects parenting quality. For example, primary caregivers, usually mothers, were more likely to use punitive methods of discipline as a result.
More than half the children in non-parental care were there for more than 50 hours a week.
“The context is these mothers have to leave their babies for very long hours … I think that’s creating a lot of anxiety and stress among women,” said Prof Yeung, who is also with NUS Medicine's paediatrics department.
She stressed the importance of flexible work arrangements for mothers of young children, and said workplace-based infant care could help mothers feel more at ease.
“Extended work hours for mothers with very young children, in this case under 18 months old, is not conducive to parenting and to child development.”
PATERNITY LEAVE NOT ENOUGH TO SHIFT MINDSET
A separate study found that one to two weeks of paternity leave in Singapore does not appear to increase the likelihood of couples having a second or third child.
Prof Yeung noted that Nordic countries, where paternity leave lasts six months to a year or more, show a positive relationship between paternity leave and fertility rates.
Two weeks, she said, is likely too short to shift couples' thinking about having more children – particularly given that men's participation in childcare and domestic duties in Singapore remains significantly lower than in Nordic countries.
Singapore recently doubled paternity leave from two weeks to four, and introduced an additional 10 weeks of shared parental leave. Prof Yeung said the move is a step in the right direction, but normalising fathers' involvement in childcare is equally important.
“Right now, we have a take-up rate of about 50 per cent. If we can push that higher to 100 per cent and have better, more equal gender equality in the household and at work, with this longer duration of paternity leave, we hope that we see a positive impact on couples' fertility intention and behaviour as well.”
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