SINGAPORE: Parents in Singapore are urging the Government to consider the lived realities of families before making policies, as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah announced that the workgroup to raise the nation’s birth rate has convened.
The new Marriage & Parenthood (M&P) Reset Workgroup was first announced in February this year after it was revealed that Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) plunged to a record low of 0.87 last year, from 0.97 in 2024.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong tapped Ms Indranee to chair a committee to look at how to address the declining birth rate. It was announced last week that the workgroup will also include eight other political office holders, namely Low Yen Ling, Rahayu Mahzam, Dinesh Vasu Dash, Jasmin Lau, Goh Pei Ming, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Shawn Huang, and Goh Hanyan.
The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) has since shared that the workgroup will study the factors influencing marriage and parenthood in Singapore, including financial pressures, housing, caregiving responsibilities, healthcare, preschool and education, as well as work-life support.
The group will also engage employers, businesses, community organisations and Singaporeans to encourage social norms and workplace practices that are more supportive of family life.
Announcing the formation of the workgroup last week, Ms Indranee said the committee aims to build a “long-term roadmap” to ensure a “social reset.” She wrote on Facebook, “…family formation and having more Singaporean babies has become even more important than ever.”
The Minister also called on members of the public to join the effort to raise the birth rate and urged, “We can all play a part in ways that make a real difference — at work, in our families and in our communities. Let’s make this change together!”
Following the announcement, parents across Singapore began sharing candid accounts of the pressures they face while raising children, with many describing exhaustion, financial strain, limited workplace flexibility and a lack of practical support.
Several parents stressed that the issue goes beyond financial incentives and childcare subsidies, arguing that daily realities for working families are often overlooked in policymaking.
One working mother of two said many families are heavily dependent on ageing grandparents for childcare because they have few alternatives. She shared that her own mother, despite being unwell, continues helping to care for her children while both parents work.
“The challenge many parents face today is not necessarily that childcare centres need longer operating hours,” she said. “In reality, many parents would prefer to personally spend that time with their children.”
Instead, she called for mandatory flexible work arrangements and earlier knock-off times for working parents, especially mothers and single fathers caring for young children. “If more parents could end work earlier, they would have time to fetch their children, cook meals, guide homework, and spend meaningful family time together,” she said.
She added that such changes could strengthen family bonding, reduce reliance on elderly grandparents and domestic helpers, improve emotional well-being and give couples greater confidence to have more children.
“Please speak to real mothers and fathers on the ground,” she urged. “Many of us would be more than willing to honestly share the challenges families face today.”
Another parent, who identified himself as the father of three children, cautioned against relying on feedback from a small segment of society.
“The committee should not rely on feedback from just a small group and draw conclusions,” he said, proposing a transparent public platform where Singaporeans can openly share and review ideas.
He also pointed to what he saw as stronger social support for families in countries like Japan, where parents with children are given priority in public services and facilities. “Locally, however, it often feels like there are very few accommodations,” he said, adding that Singapore could do more not only through policy but also through public education and social behaviour.
Other parents detailed the logistical and emotional pressures of balancing work and caregiving. One mother described racing across Singapore during peak-hour crowds to collect her children from student care before closing time after leaving work at 6 pm.
She said childcare and student care arrangements often fail to accommodate working parents whose offices are far from schools and homes. “Every day is a struggle and battle,” she said. “Every day I am exhausted.”
She also highlighted the cumulative financial burden of raising children, from rising milk powder prices to healthcare costs, tuition fees, insurance premiums and housing loans. She wrote, “Every time government increase baby bonus, the next moment, milk powder, child care, and student care increase in price.”
The mother also criticised what she viewed as outdated workplace expectations, saying many employers still penalise staff who leave work on time or take leave to care for children.
“We can be high contributors, but because we leave early or often have to take leave for family matters, during appraisals, we don’t excel for KPI and promotions are bypassed,” she said, questioning whether existing childcare leave policies adequately reflect the realities of parenting and whether they are sufficient when children fall sick frequently.
Several parents also raised concerns about support for shift workers. One father of three said childcare operating hours are designed mainly around standard office jobs, leaving parents in industries such as healthcare, food and beverage, security and technical services struggling to cope.
He shared that after trying childcare services and hiring a domestic helper, his family eventually decided his wife had to quit her job to become a full-time homemaker because of the demands of shift work and caregiving.
“Now we understand why many Singaporeans choose to be childless or only have one child,” he said.
Parents of children with special needs also appealed for stronger legal protections and practical support. One parent said even having the legal right to request work-from-home arrangements once a week would make a “meaningful difference” for caregivers of children with additional needs.
“A bit of structured flexibility isn’t a privilege; it’s a practical way to help parents stay in the workforce while still meeting their responsibilities at home,” the parent said.
Another special needs parent highlighted the difficulty of finding reliable and affordable care, especially for children who are non-verbal or require close supervision. The parent called for a system that provides flexible and affordable in-home care services so parents can continue working with peace of mind.
Parents repeatedly pointed to housing pressures, shrinking living spaces, rising costs of living, demanding workplace cultures and limited caregiving support as interconnected challenges that affect decisions about marriage and parenthood.
One parent summed up the sentiment shared by many others in a direct appeal to policymakers: “Please ground policies in real lives, not assumptions.”
Urging policymakers to engage the public on a large scale, she added, “Have meaningful, two-way conversations with parents and couples to understand their lived realities, the trade-offs, constraints, and daily pressures they navigate. Engage widely and at scale so insights are not drawn from a narrow group but reflect diverse experiences across different households.
“Only then can policies be thoughtfully designed, rigorously analysed, and truly responsive to what families need.”
This article (‘Please ground policies in real lives, not assumptions’: Parents urge Gov’t to do more as workgroup to raise birth rate convenes) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.
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