Having kids has always been thought of as the “next logical step” for young couples, but does that still hold true today? We find out from Singaporeans if enough is being done to support aspiring parents.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Sometimes it's hard because if both of you are working,
00:03then who's going to take care of the children, right?
00:05I think marriage is not for having a kid,
00:07but having a good partner in life.
00:10Singapore's birth rate has been declining over the years,
00:13with 2023 being the lowest in the past five decades at 0.97.
00:18To create a more family-friendly environment,
00:20the government has recently announced plans
00:22such as enhancing paid parenthood leave provisions
00:25to up to 30 weeks,
00:26an increase from the previous 20 weeks.
00:29There would also be an upcoming new scheme for large families
00:32to support parents thinking of having a third child,
00:35or those who already have three or more young children.
00:38These are some of the government's efforts
00:40shared by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to reset policies
00:44to help Singaporeans realise a refreshed Singapore Dream.
00:48We wanted to find out if Singaporeans feel
00:50that there is enough support provided to parents,
00:52as well as other factors that might provide answers
00:54to Singapore's low birth rate.
00:57Asia One recently did a survey
00:58on perceptions on parenthood in Singapore,
01:00which gathered 1,558 responses.
01:04When asked if respondents think
01:05there is enough workplace support for parents,
01:08the majority of the respondents felt that
01:09more can be done for working parents,
01:12or that support for working parents were poor.
01:14About a third of parents indicated that
01:16workplaces claimed to be family-friendly,
01:19but in reality are not.
01:21Working parents were most likely to deem
01:23more flexible work arrangements as helpful
01:25for managing both work and parenting commitments,
01:28even more than having more paid childcare leave days
01:30and more financial assistance.
01:32Singles who were planning to get married
01:34expressed greater concerns regarding support for parents,
01:37compared to respondents with other marital statuses.
01:40These singles were also more likely than other respondents
01:43to find a wide range of support types
01:45to be helpful to parents to manage work and parenting.
01:48Interestingly enough,
01:49parents and non-parents thought differently
01:52about the types of community support
01:53that would be helpful to parents.
01:55Among the options provided,
01:57informal mentorship was more likely to be thought of
01:59as helpful by non-parents,
02:01while having support groups in the workplace
02:03was more likely to be chosen by parents.
02:05To expand on our findings,
02:07we headed out to find out what Singaporeans thought
02:09about the current level of support that parents receive.
02:12No.
02:13Not yet.
02:14No, I'm not.
02:15No, I'm not a parent.
02:17Yes, I am.
02:18Yes, I'm a parent.
02:19No, you're not a parent.
02:21Yes.
02:22No, not yet.
02:23We are foreign.
02:25This one I'm not very sure,
02:27because I have left the workforce for a long time.
02:30But from what I understand is,
02:32some companies, they support,
02:34but most of the companies,
02:36they are not very encouraging in this.
02:38I personally think that
02:41some companies try as much as they can.
02:45They claim to be family-friendly,
02:47but in reality, sometimes it's not that easy.
02:50No, I don't think there is enough.
02:53Yet.
02:53I think there can be more.
02:55No, definitely no.
02:56There's now a new shared leave system.
02:59But I think, if I'm not wrong,
03:00it's only rolled out for people who have kids
03:04after 2025 or 2024.
03:06So, I don't think it's going to be helpful
03:08for parents who have kids now.
03:11I think most of my friends who are parents
03:13would say maybe financial assistance,
03:16more childcare leave,
03:19and maybe flexible arrangements.
03:21Help from the company.
03:22Now, maybe need to rope in the grandparents,
03:26and also the childcare facilities.
03:28That is very important also.
03:30Flexible work time.
03:32Where parents still can work,
03:34also have family time at home.
03:36So that the bond is there as parents.
03:38If there's any working arrangement
03:40that they can do, like work from home,
03:41I think that will really help
03:43because childcare is expensive
03:44if you want to put them in the childcare.
03:46More annual leave
03:48for having a quality time with kids.
03:51More like financial support for parents.
03:54Financial support for parents.
03:55I think more maternity leave.
03:59Balancing work and the cost of living in Singapore
04:03I think is high.
04:04And housing, right, for sure.
04:06These three things are really difficult to manage.
04:09I think uncertainty about how the future will look.
04:13Freedom is also one,
04:14and also financial security.
04:17Whether or not they're able to give the best to their kids.
04:20Expensive, maybe?
04:22And then maybe because of future-wise,
04:24they want to focus more on themselves,
04:26and then not wanting to have a baby
04:28that can actually pull them back.
04:31I ran the calculation last time with my husband.
04:34And then we think like if you're married
04:38and then you want to have kids,
04:39both of the parents have to work
04:41if you want to make a living in Singapore.
04:43And then that sometimes is hard
04:46because if both of you are working,
04:48then who's going to take care of the children, right?
04:49I think it depends on the person.
04:52Maybe the person doesn't like kids
04:54and wants to live alone.
04:55I think it's okay
04:56because I think marriage is not for having a kid,
04:59but having a good partner in life.
05:02It's too expensive to raise a child.
05:04I mean, it's already expensive to get a house.
05:07It's already difficult to get a house.
05:10And then houses are too small
05:11to have more than two children.
05:13The cost of living is shooting up.
05:17I don't think it's going to decline anytime soon.
05:20So I think that's the number one factor.
05:22Of the people we interviewed,
05:23an equal number of respondents said that they agree,
05:26but more can be done.
05:27Workplaces claim to be supportive, but are not.
05:30And no, there is not enough workplace support for parents.
05:33When asked about what would help parents
05:35better manage both work and parenting commitments,
05:38the top two responses were
05:40having more parental leave,
05:41as well as having some form of flexible working arrangement.
05:45Six in 10 respondents said that
05:46the cost of living in Singapore
05:48was probably the biggest reservation
05:50that Singaporeans would have about becoming parents.
05:53So, what do you think?