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Why financial incentives alone aren’t encouraging more births It’s all in the head

I refer to the Straits Times report, “Beyond money: Why financial incentives alone aren’t encouraging more births It’s all in the head” (Sep 14).

The population of most developed countries is shrinking, this will be an inevitable trend. Singapore is following suit.

Usually, a country encourages its people to have more children are based on the following considerations:

1.Sustainably maintain a sufficient workforce, strengthen the country’s economy.
2.Prevent or delay population aging
3.Reduce the financial burden on existing taxpayers
4.Cut the reliance upon the foreign immigrants.
5.Ensuring the sufficient supply of soldiers

It’s indeed in the interest of a nation.

Since 1987, the Singaporean government has actively encouraged its married people (especially those young married couples) to have more children. The relevant authorities have worked hard, spent huge sums of money, and used a lot of human and material resources to promote procreation.

The Government has introduced preferential policies and measures to raise fertility and encourage marriage.

For examples: – Housing Grants, MediSave Grant for newborns, Baby Bonus, Affordable and quality preschool education for all, KidStart programme and Shared parental leave.

However, its results have always been unsatisfactory; they have not reached the pre-set goal of 2.1 replacement fertility rate.

Why is my country’s fertility rate so low? Let’s analyze some possible reasons:

1.Due to the hustle and bustle of life and high costs of living.

2.Due to stiff competitions in jobs of this cosmopolitan city, most people are struggling to make a decent living in order to put foods on the table, and people have no desire of priority in the thought of procreation.

3. Many salaried employees are worried that the economic uncertainty and downturn will affect their company’s business, which will lead to the instability of their jobs and affect their mood for procreation.

4. Many people worry that raising children is a lifelong matter. Couples must be mentally prepared to a certain extent and must sacrifice their own time, energy and money to plan how to raise children from birth to graduation from college.

5.Some parents of today do not wish to see their children who will face greater and harder challenges, difficulties and uncertainty of their future.

6. Some married couples also worry about having unhealthy babies, such as those born with rare congenital or autistic syndromes.

7.Certainly, there are some married couples who are suitable to have children because of their medical conditions.

Although having children is indeed a natural responsibility. It is originally a joyful thing, and a couples can enjoy the happiness of a family. But it varies from person to person.

Anyway, the subject of procreation is very personal, there is no right and wrong answer to it, we should respect each individual’s decision.

 

Teo Kueh Liang (Mr)

 

 

yyy
READER COMMENTS BELOW

13 Responses to “Why financial incentives alone aren’t encouraging more births It’s all in the head”

  • rice:

    Sgs are postponing marriage.
    And,when they decide to settle down,they are less fertile.
    Sperm count low,eggs no flow.
    Many now prefer to be single.
    They just have fun-sex.
    We are already westerni$ed.
    Family life not seen as important anymore.
    Sex is viewed differently,just for enjoyment,NOT REPRODUCTION.

    HAPPY ANGMOH STYLE OF LIVING.
    Even females just want sex for pleasure ,not pre$$ure.

    Good luck,$inkaput!

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  • 2Daft2Live:

    In the 60s, John Calhoun did a study on overcrowding effects on animals and discovered unexpected pathological behaviour like refusal to engage in courtship, females abandoning their young, and homosexuality (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink).

    SG is a massive live experiment trying to answer the question: how many human beings can you packed in a small space? SG is the 2nd most densely populated country in the world (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density).

    What is the purpose of this experiment? None, except for more profits to the largest landlord, the govt. What if this experiment fails? After all, humans aren’t like rats in the overcrowding experiment above, right? However, seeing the level of intelligence displayed by the daft ones, I am not so sure.

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  • opposition dude:

    Yup the high cost of living (500k BTO anyone? How long will a married couple take to pay it off IF they are both lucky and DON’T get retrenched during their working lives?), uncertain career prospects not knowing if one will get retrenched, far too many aliens leading to job insecurity since one does not know if one’s head might get chopped, long working hours the list goes on.

    It doesn’t help that PAP thinks of everything in pure digits and just gives a sum for a couple’s third child, they conveniently forget that raising a child is not just a short term thing, it’s at least a 20 year role. Frankly, how long does their baby bonus grant help in diapers and milk powder anyway? And kids get sick every other month so parents end up with the doctors’ bills.

    PAP is just doing the absolute minimum while pushing the blame like they always do to the younger generation saying that they do not want to get amrried, high cost of living and all that. But who is the one who die die want to raise GST to 9% next year? WHO let in these numbers of aliens to compete with citizens for jobs leading to job insecurity? WHO is responsbile for the high cost of living shooting through the roof year after year with the wayang GST vouchers and small amounts credited every few months to our bank accounts? And WHO is constantly increasing either some S&CC charges/fare hikes/water prices every year or so?

    And let us not forget WHO is being paid the world’s highest salaries eh? Pay them so much and yet the TFR is so low. Why pay them so much then? Let’s do our real national duty and kick more of them out in the next election lah!!

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  • Harder Truths:

    Ballsless cannot reproduce.

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  • Brainwashed post:

    The proper heading should be “Why LOW financial incentive is not enough.”

    You give every baby $1 MILLION (spread out over 18 years), you will get a baby boom.

    This gov has been very very stingy. Of course, they are not effective. Only wayang.

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  • 1. TFR rate down to almost 1
    2. 95% fully vaxed
    3. Suicide rate shooting through the roof
    4. Excess deaths on the rise
    5. Myocarditis and turbo cancers on the rise
    6. Perinatal deaths and still-borns almost doubled.

    No issue at all, just import more FTs from India and China. How hard is it to replace just a petty 3 million populace?

    In no time, Sinkies will be totally replaced with a more plaint populace that will guarantee every erection more than 70%.

    Problem? What problem? lol

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  • rice:

    All the bullshits about this and that.
    The truth is young people are getting more and more selfish and self-centred.

    Look,even mere lower level workers are going around carrying EXPENSIVE BRANDED LEATHER BAG$ like Prada and PRATA!
    MANY AMONG THEM even passed snide remarks on social media against a young lady thanking her father for buying her a humble Charles And Keith product which is not cheap by the way?

    So,young sgs will enjoy themselves come what may.
    They will mostly do things they see beneficial to themselves.
    They even gave NKS a higher number of votes than TKL.
    WHY?
    Because NKS looks more prosperous and promised to teach them investment and public speaking.
    Nothing wrong but why not teach them respeanct and gratitude?

    Young sgs deserve to be replaced by FTs as they keep voting for such policies.

    I take no pity on them.
    Older sgs have contributed ,like it or not.
    Go check when our vast reserves have been most effectively accumulated.
    In the 1970s to early 1990s,who can argue not?
    And,when issuing grants during Covid,manyof such nation-builders got a despicable $600?!

    Fark to those unfair policy makers.
    Go screw yourselves!
    And,to the young,stop being arrogant.
    You owe a gratitude to older sgs and so the gahmen.

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  • @opposition dude

    In Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, an average worker makes about RMB $3000 a month and most average families are fully employed.

    An above average 140 sq metre apartment cost about $1 million which can be financed over 30 years. So as long as 2 people in the family are working, the monthly installments are manageable with plenty to spare. If any of the members is in the civil service, then there are still the 5 insurances and their version of CPF, which can be used for housing.

    Compared to Sinkieland, it is so so so much less stressful.

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  • @opposition dude

    In Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, an average non-professional worker makes about minimum RMB $3000 a month and most average families are fully employed. Even a tea lady in the city mayor’s office or a road cleaner makes about RMB $4000 or more a month.

    * The cheapest gasoline car costs RMB 30,000 with no road tax or COE, insurance is about RMB 1500 a year. A motor scooter (电瓶车) is about RMB 2000 (no need driving license).

    An above average 140 sq metre apartment (4 rooms) cost about RMB 1 million which can be financed over 30 years. So as long as 2 people in the family are working, the monthly installments are manageable with plenty to spare. If any of the members is in the civil service, then there are still the 5 insurances and their version of CPF, which can be used for housing.

    Got baby liao, still got the 9 years 义务教育, no money, country pays.

    Compared to Sinkieland, it is so so so much less stressful.

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  • Veggie:

    I c it this way

    Earth can only be save w/o us.

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  • rice:

    MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING.
    BUT STILL,WHAT BELONGS TO US IS RIGHTLY OURS.
    As such,i humbly but firmly urge Prez Tharman to ensure that DRAWDOWN$ FROM OUR sgs’ RESERVES be equitably DISTTRIBUTED TOsgs first before others.

    The last grant of $600 from the $100B that MANY NEEDY BUT DESERVING sgs received was simply unfair,no matter what we say.

    No MP from WP OR PAP bothered to bring this up for discourse in Parliament.
    We need to do so for FUTURE REFERENCES IN CASE OF FURTHER DRAWDOWNS.

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  • FedUp:
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  • rice:

    The more FTs dump here ,the lower the effective fertility rate of sgs.
    Joblessness gives rise to stress in high COL environment.
    Stress lowers fertility.
    Maybe COVID vaccine too?
    The higher the rate of vaccination,the lower the fertility rate.
    Who to blame,ah?

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