SINGAPORE: A series of public consultation sessions shows that barriers to marriage and parenthood include difficulty in finding suitable partners, owning a home, financial security, work-life balance, and childcare arrangements.

The consultation exercise was facilitated by the National Population Secretariat (NPS) in the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Ministry of Manpower, REACH and the National Family Council (NFC).

The sessions, conducted from April to July this year to give an overview of the impact of the Marriage and Parenthood Package that was introduced in 2004, involved more than 300 participants.

Singles in the group cited difficulty in finding suitable partners and would rather focus on their career in the meantime. They said they had hardly any time to socialise and did not know where or how to start.

Some participants also felt that matchmaking agencies here were more concerned about making profits than making matches.

Some of those who were in a serious relationship said they would only consider marriage when they have the ability to own a home.

As for married couples, they cited financial security, work-life balance and childcare arrangements as key considerations in embarking on parenthood.

They said the costs of bringing up a family in Singapore are high, especially when tertiary education is taken into consideration.

Some had suggested that fathers should be allowed to claim tax benefits that are currently meant for only working mothers, as more women are choosing to stay at home with their children.

In the area of work-life balance, there were concerns that demanding work commitments could hamper family and social life. Some female participants even said they were afraid of losing their jobs if they took longer leave to care for their children.

It is hoped that employers will put in place more pro-family measures.

Lim Soon Hock, chairperson of NFC, said: "Work-life harmony is not about working shorter hours or longer hours, it's about flexi working time, which means that if a woman has to leave the office or a man has to leave the office, the employer must trust that the employee will carry out whatever work that he or she is supposed to do."

So far, there are no plans to legislate pro-family measures, but there are suggestions to make role models of companies with good practices.

Participants of the consultation exercise also pointed out that some seemingly unrelated policies would affect their time with their family – high ERP charges generally discourage people from going home early.

Many couples in the consultation exercise said they did not want their children to be raised by domestic helpers, but there seemed to be a lack in infant care and childcare services that were good and affordable.

As Singapore still has one of the lowest fertility rates among developed countries, the National Population Committee said the government may update the 2004 Marriage and Parenthood Package, which includes incentives like CPF Housing Top-Up Grant, the use of Medisave for delivery expenses, tax rebates and enhanced childcare options.

Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport as well as a member of the National Population Committee, said: "That could mean allowing more childcare centres to be set up. Many have also commented that subsidies are quite low, relative to what they actually pay."

Another suggestion to help couples cope with high costs is to review the quantum of the Baby Bonus.

Introduced in 2001, the scheme offers a cash payout of S$3,000 for the first child. This could go up to S$18,000 in cash and matching contributions for the third and fourth child. Some S$220 million worth of Baby Bonus was given out last year.


- CNA/so