Debated in Parliament on 16 Sep 2013.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Prime Minister in order to raise our total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.0, what is the ideal number of children that each married Singaporean woman should have, and what plans does the Ministry have to achieve this.
A total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 is needed for each generation to replace itself. At current singlehood rates, each married citizen woman would need to have 2.43 children on average for
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Singapore to have a TFR of 2.1. In 2012, married citizen women in the 40-49 age group had 1.99 children on average.
While more Singaporeans are staying single, marrying later and having fewer children, marriage and parenthood aspirations remain strong. The National Population and Talent Division's 2012 survey found that over 80% of Singaporeans want to marry and have two or more children.
Supporting Singaporeans in achieving their aspirations to marry and start families is a key Government priority. We enhanced the Marriage & Parenthood (M&P) Package earlier this year by
(a) Making it easier for married couples to obtain housing to support earlier marriages and births;
(b) Defraying medical costs relating to conception and delivery;
(c) Further defraying child-raising costs, including childcare and healthcare costs;
(d) Helping working parents to balance work and family commitments; and
(e) Introducing paternity and shared parental leave to encourage fathers to play a bigger role in parenting.
Beyond the M&P Package, MSF has committed $40 million under the Family Matters! Initiative to support family life education. People-sector organisations, such as I Love Children, also play an important role in encouraging Singaporeans to consider family as central to our lives.
I encourage everyone – as family members, friends, colleagues and employers – to help foster a pro-family culture and encourage those around us to prioritise marriage and parenthood as important life goals.
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