For my first post, I would like to give my 2 cents worth on a topic close to my heart - Population Geography; in particular the recent renewed interest in strategies to increase birth rates in Singapore.
Currently, most married couples with children face the following issues:
1. Hefty cost of childcare
2. Lack of time to spend with their children
3. Locating care givers for their young children or if mum stays home, what happens to the family income and one's career?
In my humble opinion, I feel that the government needs to tackle the problem of dwindling birth rates at the root of the problem rather than just try to dangle a few carrots in front of Singaporeans. The truth really is that Singaporeans are not going to have more children for a few pieces of carrots.
I would like to suggest that the cost of childcare be subsidised much further. For those are are unaware, childcare cost can come up to quite a huge sum ($400 to $700 for a decent child care centre) and for some families, childcare is a necessary option as both parents are working. Perhaps it is time to put our money where our mouths are.
In addition, paternity leave is another area that can be further worked on. Currently, fathers are only given a mere 3 days leave when their child is born and i think we all honestly would agree that 3 days is too little when your bundle of joy arrives and with the new responsibilities that follow. A month or two sounds much better. Once again, I am aware that it's easy to talk about giving more leave on paper and i am well aware of the opportunity costs of doing so. But hey, we need the babies for Singapore's future right?
Lastly, I would like to suggest that more can be done to help mums balance family and work. Our social support systems must be in place to support women being both mums as well as employees. One avenue that this can be done is to increase number of days parents get to take leave to spend with their children. Although it may sound frivilous that mums and dads get to take days off to spend time with their kids, I guess it's something the government should try because being a mum isn't just about carrying our child for 9 months, is it?
The government will announce some new incentives next Monday during the National Day rally (I suspect so - but don't quote me on this!) so let's keep a look out as to what PM Lee has in store for us. Maybe there will really be a lot more carrots worth biting into.
Currently, most married couples with children face the following issues:
1. Hefty cost of childcare
2. Lack of time to spend with their children
3. Locating care givers for their young children or if mum stays home, what happens to the family income and one's career?
In my humble opinion, I feel that the government needs to tackle the problem of dwindling birth rates at the root of the problem rather than just try to dangle a few carrots in front of Singaporeans. The truth really is that Singaporeans are not going to have more children for a few pieces of carrots.
I would like to suggest that the cost of childcare be subsidised much further. For those are are unaware, childcare cost can come up to quite a huge sum ($400 to $700 for a decent child care centre) and for some families, childcare is a necessary option as both parents are working. Perhaps it is time to put our money where our mouths are.
In addition, paternity leave is another area that can be further worked on. Currently, fathers are only given a mere 3 days leave when their child is born and i think we all honestly would agree that 3 days is too little when your bundle of joy arrives and with the new responsibilities that follow. A month or two sounds much better. Once again, I am aware that it's easy to talk about giving more leave on paper and i am well aware of the opportunity costs of doing so. But hey, we need the babies for Singapore's future right?
Lastly, I would like to suggest that more can be done to help mums balance family and work. Our social support systems must be in place to support women being both mums as well as employees. One avenue that this can be done is to increase number of days parents get to take leave to spend with their children. Although it may sound frivilous that mums and dads get to take days off to spend time with their kids, I guess it's something the government should try because being a mum isn't just about carrying our child for 9 months, is it?
The government will announce some new incentives next Monday during the National Day rally (I suspect so - but don't quote me on this!) so let's keep a look out as to what PM Lee has in store for us. Maybe there will really be a lot more carrots worth biting into.
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