MOVING THE NEEDLE
Sociologists agreed the financial incentives will do little in convincing Singaporeans to have more children.
Assistant Professor Tan Poh Lin with the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy cited the example of the S$3,000 Baby Support Grant given out during the pandemic, which did not result in any clear uptick in the fertility rate.
The announcements will certainly be welcomed by those who are planning for children or expanding their family, said Professor Paulin Straughan of the Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences.
“However, it’s very unlikely to influence a change of heart for DINKs, or (couples who have) dual income with no kids,” she said.
Singapore’s resident total fertility rate was 1.12 in 2021, up from 1.10 in 2020, but still lower than the pre-COVID level of 1.14 in 2019. The rate has generally been declining for the past few decades.
There are three main challenges for Singapore’s fertility rate – the falling rate of marriage and rising age at first marriage, the decision whether to have children at all, and the number of children couples choose to have, said the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Associate Professor Walter Theseira.
“The last one is probably where enhancements to the Baby Bonus Cash Gift and paternity leave probably make some difference,” he said.
“If you already have a child you might feel it’s now a bit easier to have your next as there will be more support … But I would guess that this is not going to make people run out and get married tomorrow!”
Women’s rights groups AWARE pointed out that these schemes do not support all parents equally – among those which got a boost in Budget 2023, unwed single mothers are only eligible for the CDA programme.
With single parents likely to be sole breadwinners as well as primary caregivers, AWARE has advocated for their inclusion in such cash gifts and relief schemes, the association said in a press release on Wednesday.
Executive director Corinna Lim said it is “impossible to celebrate” for those whom the news was a “sharp reminder” of the prejudice they face as unwed single mothers.
“We hoped that the Budget would put a dent in the suite of policies that unreasonably penalise vulnerable single-parent families in Singapore, but it was not the case.”