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Low and Lower Fertility pp 33–61Cite as

Singapore’s Pro-natalist Policies: To What Extent Have They Worked?

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Abstract

Fertility in Singapore has declined steadily since the early 1960s, reaching below-replacement level in the early 1970s and showing no clear sign of recovery since then. In 2011, the total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.2 children per woman, one of the lowest in the world. The Singapore government was slow to introduce policies and programs to address this trend. The first pro-natalist policies were introduced in 1987, and these were revised and enhanced in 2004, 2008, and 2013. Today, Singapore has the most comprehensive policies to encourage marriage, boost fertility, and provide support to families of any country in East Asia. Nevertheless, fertility levels remain similar to those in other East Asian countries, although higher than levels in large cities in the region. Data from the Marriage and Parenthood Survey conducted by the National Population and Talent Division in 2012 suggest that the financial costs of raising children and problems in combining childrearing and work are key constraints on fertility decisions. This suggests that considerably higher financial input by government—for example, increasing baby bonus payments and providing universal childcare—may be essential if fertility levels are to be substantially raised.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Year of the Dragon is considered to be the most auspicious sign of the Chinese twelve-animal zodiac cycle (Saw 1990). The Year of the Tiger (which comes 2 years before the dragon year) is considered inauspicious for births. Dragon years and tiger years are indicated by vertical lines in Fig. 3.1.

  2. 2.

    The 2 % figure is in some ways misleading, however, as a considerably higher proportion of births are conceived outside marriage, and the pregnancy precipitates the marriage. These should not necessarily be understood as “shotgun marriages” according to the traditional understanding of this term, as there is evidence, at least from Japan, that many unmarried couples are fairly relaxed about the possibility of a pregnancy and are ready to marry should a pregnancy occur.

  3. 3.

    For more detailed discussions, see Tsuya et al. 2009; Suzuki 2008, 2009; Eun 2007; Jones 2007; Frejka et al. 2010.

  4. 4.

    All dollar figures in this paper are in Singapore dollars. In 2013, S$1 = US<Footnote ID=”Fn4”><Para ID=”Par19”>All dollar figures in this paper are in Singapore dollars. In 2013, S$1 = US$0.80.</Para></Footnote>.80.

  5. 5.

    There was a blip to 1.60 in the 2000 Year of the Dragon—up from 1.47 in 1998 and 1999.

  6. 6.

    Indeed, Raymo (2003) has argued in the case of Japan that changes in the desire for children are more important in understanding marriage behavior than changes in the desirability of marriage itself.

  7. 7.

    Details of the range of services offered can be found at http://app.sdn.sg/DatingServices/OnlineorPersonalisedMatching.aspx.

  8. 8.

    Citizens and permanent residents together make up the resident population, which is the denominator for the calculation of Singapore’s demographic rates.

  9. 9.

    These workers are on fixed-term contracts and are mainly drawn from the Philippines and Indonesia, with smaller numbers from Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Lower-income families cannot afford the cost of employing a domestic worker.

  10. 10.

    Low-income families can apply for financial support for this.

  11. 11.

    During a four-month consultation period prior to the announcement of the Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package in January 2013, the National Population and Talent Division received more than 800 items of feedback from community organizations, employers, and members of the public.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University, and Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia

    Gavin W. Jones

  2. Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Wajihah Hamid

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  1. Gavin W. Jones
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  2. Wajihah Hamid
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Correspondence to Gavin W. Jones .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, USA

    Ronald R. Rindfuss

  2. East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    Minja Kim Choe

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Jones, G.W., Hamid, W. (2015). Singapore’s Pro-natalist Policies: To What Extent Have They Worked?. In: Rindfuss, R., Choe, M. (eds) Low and Lower Fertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21482-5_3

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