SINGAPORE - Change the workplace culture to allow for more family time, some have been saying but would this truly boost the sagging birthrate?

Out of 1,000 mums surveyed in April by the Working Mothers Forum (WMF), three in five would say “no, thanks” to having a new bundle of joy in their households, even if they could resolve domestic and work issues. Yet, 86 per cent of these mums agreed that having children was “a bliss”.

What could explain this conundrum?

To mothers like Madam Noroonnessa Begam, 38, factors such as the high cost of raising a child and Singapore’s competitive environment count. “Finances are very important. As you know, there are rising costs and the challenging education system. And if you have one problem child, that will take up a lot of your time,” said Mdm Noroonessa, a childcare teacher with three sons aged 9 to 12.

But the experts say, all is not lost in the push for more babies after all, the survey (done by research firm Connecting Insights Consultants) found that a quarter of the mums would agree to more kids if work-life balance is achieved.

“I think that’s a good start,” said Associate Professor Daniel Goh, a pediatrician and chair of WMF’s panel of experts. The survey aims to understand the concerns of working and job-seeking mothers, and if it leads to increased flexibility at the workplace, perhaps “some of these people will change their minds”.

The survey also found that one-third of the mothers felt it was impossible to give 100 per cent to both motherhood and career, while 37 per cent felt they could.

About half the mums surveyed said employers play the biggest role more so than the Government in helping them manage work-family challenges. Flexible policies would do much to ease their load.

Mdm Noroonessa, for example, praised her “understanding” bosses for allowing her to work two half-days per week, after her middle son had slackened in his schoolwork.

Flexible policies could range from time off for emergencies and allowing employees to work from home, to more annual childcare leave.

“Family-friendly hours may not be nine-to-five,” said Ms Cheryl Liew-Chng, vice-chair of WMF’s panel of experts. For example, if one’s child attends the afternoon school session, flexi-hours would mean time-off in the morning.

Asked if flexi-hours could apply to small and medium-sized companies with limited staff strength, Ms Liew-Chng said if emphasis was on employees’ output instead of “face-time” at the office, this would not be an issue.

Dairy nutrition company Friesland (Singapore), for example, allows fathers to take annual childcare leave and its 50 staff to take time off for emergencies. Its year-on-year revenue growth in the first half was 30 per cent, said general manager Eddie Koh.

But employees need to be responsible and not use flexi-hours as an excuse to run minor errands, said administrator Michelle Soh, 34, a mother of two.

Flexiwork hours could even help address the issue of singles not having time to find a mate official statistics show, Singapore women account for just 65 per cent of all babies born here, the rest born to women from other countries married to Singaporean fathers. Sociologist Angelique Chan told Channel NewsAsia that climbing the corporate ladder was one reason for Singapore women’s low fertility rate. - TODAY/ar