The enhanced support for having a child in the form of a bigger Baby Bonus, additional paternity leave and a bigger Medisave Grant for babies was welcomed by parents and parents-to-be, while sociologists said the measures could help nudge society into becoming more supportive of families with children.
Mr Marcus Lai, whose wife will give birth to their first child next year, said the added support would ease some of his worries. “My wife and I have been discussing how much we should put aside for our child, and how to manage our finances … These (initiatives) would definitely make things easier for us,” said the 31-year-old manager of Winefield’s Auctioneers Asia.
Housewife Josephine Low, 36, welcomed the doubling of paternity leave to two weeks, but was sceptical on whether companies would offer it voluntarily. “If the company doesn’t allow us, then we might have to use our annual leave, which means that we are at the losing end,” said the mother of four, who felt it should be mandated by the Government.
SHIFTING ATTITUDES
A study released by the Institute of Policy Studies early last month showed the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package announced in 2013 was less conducive in nudging Singaporeans to marry and have more children, compared with the previous package.
Dr Kang Soon-Hock, head of the Social Science Core at SIM University, felt the enhancements, while appearing “purely financial” on the surface, play the bigger role of shifting attitudes. Referring to the extended paternity leave, he said: “Parenthood isn’t about mothers, but about fatherhood, too. It’s a gentle nudge for fathers to rethink their role, and see it in a different light.”
Asked if he felt the enhancement would boost birth rates in the long run, National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said raising children is a long-term commitment. “My view is that they are helpful, and may raise TFR to 1.3, slightly above the current 1.2 or 1.25, but not much more, unless more is done. Whatever the case maybe, such policies also serve a symbolic value. They reflect the priority the Government assigns to fertility and children,” he said.
NUS sociologist Paulin Straughan said the policies also ride on the Golden Jubilee wave. “I think birth rates are on the rise … and (these policies) are geared towards catching this feeling of optimism of Singaporeans towards their country.”
Commenting on the additional Government-funded paternity leave, Singapore National Employers Federation executive director Koh Juan Kiat said companies would likely need to restructure leave benefits to provide the additional days for fathers. “Hopefully, the incentive can be applied to flexible paternity leave, taken over say one year … this will encourage SMEs to consider the initiative,” he said.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
