MORE THAN INCENTIVISING BIRTHS
More help for bigger families also helps to reverse the household dilution of resources when more children arrive and hence creates a more equitable distribution of resources. It helps Singapore to come closer to the ideal where all children can thrive and be successful regardless of family background.
That’s why it is important that the Large Family LifeSG credits will not just be for families with newborns, but also for existing large families where at least one is six or younger. It’s a step in the right direction, because it demonstrates that the new policy is not just about the bottom line of incentivising births.
Rather, it is an example of a broad-based and multi-goal intervention in line with the national “Made for Families 2025” plan, which not only promotes parents’ access to flexible work arrangements, provides more parenting resources and enables greater paternal involvement, but also extends more support to groups who have more needs, including lower-income families, families with disabled members, and single-parent and divorced households.
Such a broad-based approach can better address the depth and scope of issues underlying low fertility, by showing understanding that a conducive childbearing environment is one with social security, where families with more needs are supported and the well-being of all individuals is valued.
Tan Poh Lin is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
