Committee of Supply 2021 debate, Day 1: Carrie Tan on sharing of childbirth leave
03:36 Min
26 Feb 2021 06:46pm
One reason Singapore does not have enough babies is the unequal care load between mother and father, and that is partly due to not enough men using paternity leave. A solution would be to mandate 50-50 sharing of childbirth leave between mum and dad, with each person’s employer getting one month’s subsidy from the Government. Fathers could also get income tax reliefs currently given to mothers if they fully utilise their paternity leave. MP Carrie Tan made those suggestions in Parliament on Friday (Feb 26), saying it is time to set a new societal norm.