Tan Kin Lian - Perspectives Raise the fertility rate in Singapore
A 21 year old student asked this question - Dear Mr Tan, what are your thoughts on the total fertility rate in Singapore and how do you think that can positively/negatively impact Singapore in the next 50 years? Thank you.

I gave this reply.
The fertility rate has been dropping for 40 years. The problem of low birth rate was recognized in early 1980. The government introduced "baby bonus packages" to reverse the trend. The incentives were geared at the graduate mothers. They improved the packages over the years, but it did not reverse the trend.

The problem is that they were targeting the wrong people. The graduate women were more focused on their careers and they would not like to have many children.
The government should have focused on the non-graduates who would be prepared to raise a family. In my mother's generation, most of the women were not highly educated, but they were happy to raise many children. The children also did well in their careers, even though the mothers were not graduates.

To increase the birth rate, we have to provide attractive incentives for each family to raise their kids. For example, the mother should be given an allowance of say $700 to $1,000 a month for each child, up to a maximum of 3 children. The allowance has to be paid by the government. The cost of this benefit is not a large sum, and can be afforded by the government (state).

The women will have a choice, whether to pursue a career, or to be a home maker. Those who choose to be a home maker can earn enough from the allowance, compared to working in the office or factory as a non professional.

This allowance can also be given to the father who choose to be the homemaker, while the wife pursue a profession. This is for gender equality.

My view is - we can increase the birth rate, if the state bears a large part of the cost of raising our future generation.

Tan Kin Lian

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