Number and Profile of Stay-at-home Mothers

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many stay-at-home mothers are there currently in Singapore and of these, how many live in three-room HDB flats and below; (b) as of 2014, how much CPF savings on average does each of them have in their CPF accounts at the age of 65 years; (c) of all women aged 65 years and older, what percentage of them are widows and among them, what is the percentage living in poverty; and (d) what is the comparable rate of poverty for men aged 65 years and older.

There were approximately 690,000 economically inactive women in 2013. About 45% (312,000) of them were inactive because of family responsibilities (housework, childcare or caregiving to families/relatives). Data on the corresponding flat types for this group is unavailable. Amongst the approximately 193,000 women aged 65 and older in 2010, latest available census data indicates that about half were widows.

Based on Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB)'s data, the average CPF balance of all female members who turned 65 in 2013 is $56,000. Balances are generally lower for older cohorts because (i) wages were lower in the past, (ii) fewer women worked, (iii) withdrawal rules were more liberal, and (iv) older CPF members had fewer years to benefit from recent improvements to the CPF, such as Workfare and the Extra Interest of 1%.

Looking at data on CPF balances alone will not give us a complete picture for assessing how vulnerable an elderly person is. Besides CPF savings, individuals may have private savings, support from children/family and savings in their homes which can be unlocked through housing monetisation schemes.

Over time, we expect the CPF balances of women to rise with increasing female labour force participation. The Government has also introduced and enhanced the Minimum Sum

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Topping Up Scheme to encourage family members to top up the CPF savings of their loved ones.

For the vulnerable elderly with no income or family support, there are various Government assistance schemes to help them including the ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme (also known as Public Assistance). As at December 2013, there were 3,164 beneficiaries of this scheme, of which 35% are female.