To fix record low birth rate, Singapore could be more generous with parental leave: Experts

SINGAPORE: With its total fertility rate dropping below 1.0 for the first time, Singapore could learn from other countries in increasing and equalising parental leave, population experts said. 

Getting people to marry earlier, and addressing the costs and stresses associated with having children, are other ways to possibly make a "palpable" difference, they added. 

Preliminary estimates of Singapore’s total fertility rate show that the figure fell to 0.97 in 2023, declining further from the previous record of 1.04 in 2022 and 1.12 in 2021.

The country has yet to throw the kitchen sink at the problem, said Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, a senior research fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore. 

While a baby bonus scheme and other incentives are “increasingly generous”, they are not generous in the same way as the one year of paid parental leave offered to South Korean and Japanese parents, she added, while also pointing to Nordic countries.

In Iceland, each parent receives six months of leave at 80 per cent of pay for children born or adopted from 2021, with six weeks transferable between the two parents.

Global maternity leave standards were laid out in 1919 by the International Labour Office, calling for 12 weeks of leave. A 1952 revision made this the minimum.

“In Singapore, with 16 weeks paid maternity leave and four weeks paid paternity leave, we haven’t moved much beyond these outdated standards,” said Dr Vignehsa.

Professor Jean Yeung from NUS’ medical school said it was unlikely that Singapore would increase its leave quota by much more.

"But at least Singapore can start by mandating the four-week paternity leave without having employers’ approval,” said Prof Yeung, who is also the director of social sciences at A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences.

At Budget 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that government-paid paternity leave would be doubled from two weeks to four weeks from 2024. 

The two additional weeks of leave, for fathers of Singaporean children born from the start of 2024, is still voluntary for employers. It will eventually become mandatory, though the government has not said when. 

Mandating the extra two weeks will remove an “extra layer” where fathers need to seek approval from employers, which in turn deters them from asking for and taking it, said Prof Yeung. 

"USE IT OR LOSE IT"

Among East Asian countries, the take-up rate of paternity leave may be muted due to gendered cultural norms at the workplace and at home.

Policies that promote both parents taking the leave, like what Sweden has rolled out, may address this, said Dr Vignehsa. 

In Sweden, each parent is entitled to 240 days of paid parental leave. Ninety of these days are reserved exclusively for each parent and are not transferable. 

“Effectively, this is a ‘use it or lose it’ policy, which Sweden has used to counter cultural norms and increase the percentage of fathers utilising paternity leave,” said Dr Vignehsa. 

While the more extensive and gender-equal parental leave policies of Nordic countries have not been enough to sustain boosts to their birth rates, research shows that fathers who take their paternity leave enjoy closer bonds with their children, said the IPS senior research fellow. 

Singapore also has a "less gendered workplace culture" compared to both Japan and South Korea, which makes it easier for men to go on long leave if it was available, she added.

Dr Vignehsa suggested developing an industry of parental leave cover positions, or contract positions that employers could tap to fill temporarily vacant roles.

“Although some industries, such as the legal profession, do have these norms, it is not widespread. And stories of people having to cover some work duties while on parental leave or do catchup work when they return, are rife.”

ARGUMENTS AGAINST MORE LEAVE

Making the announcement about Singapore’s total fertility rate in parliament in February, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah cited various reasons for Singapore’s low fertility: Marriage plans disrupted by COVID-19, concerns about the financial cost of raising children, pressures to be an excellent parent or difficulties managing work and family commitments. 

Singapore's low fertility rate reflects a global phenomenon where individual priorities and societal norms have shifted, she added.

Ms Indranee said the government was looking at how paid parental leave can be increased.

“We must recognise that this requires workplace adjustments and that employers may face challenges in making arrangements to cover for employees’ extended absences.”

Professor Paulin Straughan from the Singapore Management University (SMU) also cautioned against long parental leave, calling it a “zero-sum game”. 

“If we over-privilege one group, we will disprivilege the other group,” she added, referring to those without childcare responsibilities.  

The social scientist highlighted that with Singapore's rapidly ageing population, increasing eldercare leave may be just as urgent.

“The answer is not in the government mandating more leave, but rather encouraging colleagues or staff to enter a conversation with their employers ... to allow flexibility (in work arrangements) to be more robust and tailored to whatever the organisation can offer and what the staff needs.” 

This is difficult to mandate with policies because different industries have different needs, she added.

STARTING SOONER

For Prof Straughan, encouraging earlier marriages is one way to address Singapore's plummeting birth rate.

“Young Singaporeans are getting married later. And once they get married later, for somebody in their 30s … the chances of successful natural conception is going to be lower," she said.

"Secondly, by the time you get married so late, I think they're also reluctant to change their lifestyle." 

In 2022, the average age at marriage was almost 29 years old for women - thus leading to many couples who end up wanting babies when it's "too late", said NUS' Prof Yeung.

If Singapore lowers the eligible age for singles to receive housing subsidies, this may lead to young people securing independent living arrangements earlier, which may in turn cause them to start dating and thinking about marriage earlier, she suggested.

Singapore can also support education about early fertility, and provide early fertility assessments for partners, experts said. 

“Providing accurate knowledge and early assessments will help couples make informed decisions about their fertility,” said Prof Yeung. 

A recent study that she participated in found that Singaporeans prefer having one child to not having any.

However, they do not prefer having two or more children, if other areas of family life that they value are not fulfilled. 

MOVING THE NEEDLE

The most impactful measures to encourage parenthood will be those that directly address the reservations or obstacles faced by people who want children, said IPS’ Dr Vignehsa. 

For example, subsidies for artificial reproductive techniques could remove barriers for those struggling to have kids.

Reservations could take the form of costs and stresses. While the government already provides a sizeable amount of support, incentives like the baby bonus do not alleviate financial anxiety in the long run, said Dr Vignehsa.  

As for stresses, the key lies in tending to the emotions and fears holding potential parents back.

“They can see that other parents, particularly mothers, experience burnout because managing young children in a dual-career family unit is stressful," said the IPS senior research fellow.

"Women also value their careers and are essential to the country’s economy, which means that dual-career families are likely to endure.”

Prof Yeung called on Singapore to reduce "intense competition" in school and at work.

“However, we need to be careful about flexible work arrangements because research shows that after flexible work arrangements, women take up more domestic responsibilities than before, so it may backfire."

Like Dr Vignehsa, Prof Straughan underscored the importance of targeting those already inclined or keen to have kids.

"Those who want children will still have these children whether or not you give them the baby bonus," she said.

“But for those who for whatever reason are reluctant to invest in parenthood, the baby bonus doesn’t really move the needle that much.”