GP DISCUSSIONS.

“We need more babies!” These are words from Singapore’s former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

There is slight problem concerning the average number of children born to each woman of childbearing age. According to statistics for 2002, Singaporean women give birth to 1.37 babies in a lifetime, down from 1.87 in 1990. Since a replacement level of 2.3 is required to keep a country’s natural population stable, Goh Chok Tong has elevated baby-making to a national priority. If the fertility rate continues to decline, of course, an increasingly small number of young working people must support a growing elderly population, straining available resources for health care and other social services. Singapore is concerned about its fertility rate not only in terms of an impending economic crisis, but also in terms of a national security risk. In fact, Singapore recently introduced female soldiers as a way to fill minimum personnel quotas for its armed forces.

Policies to encourage people to have children must be targeted at a broader base of women than university graduates if Singapore is to stop the falling fertility. in 2001, , the government sought to create a "total environment conductive to raising a family" by removing obstacles such as the finanical costs of raising children and childcare arrangements.

In April 2001, the government implemented the Children Development Co-Savings Scheme to lighten the financial burden of raising children. The Baby Bonus is a two-tier
scheme, comprising a cash gift of S$500 per year for six years for a second live
birth and S$1000 a year for six years for the third live birth born on or after 1
April 2001. In addition, there is a co-saving scheme whereby the government will
match dollar for dollar the amount parents put into a Child Development Account,
subject to a maximum of $1000 per annum for the second birth and $2000 per
annum for the third birth. Thus the maximum amount given will be $9000 for a
second child and $18 thousand for a third child. The money in the CDA may be
used to pay fees at approved childcare centres under the Ministry of Community
Development and Sports and at registered kindergartens and special schools under
the Ministry of Education. It can be used for all children, and not just the second
and third children. Payment is automatic for children born in the country, parents
may apply for payment if the child is born abroad. The babies must be Singapore
citizens, born on or after 1 April 2001 and children must be live born issue of the
mother (adopted children and step-children not counted in the reckoning of birth
order).

Singapore’s procreation incentives appear to have had some effect in the
early days of its introduction. However, fertility begun to slide and has returned
to the level of the pre-policy period except in selected instances. First, while
fertility rates among the 30 and older age groups have risen, this is due to some
extent to delayed childbearing – the birth order of babies born to these mothers
have not risen. Second, while third and fourth order births have risen, this
occurred only among one community, the Malays. It is as yet too early to say
what the impact of the most recent procreation incentives introduced in 2001 will
be. Uncertainty about the economy and employment is unlikely to help in the
near future.

Alfone.

Labels: Birth Dearth

Y 07S10-GRP02

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