http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Singapore/STIStory_257919.html
S'porean singles would rather focus on career ahead of marriage
SINGAPOREAN singles would rather would rather focus on their career ahead of marriage, and many cite difficulty in finding suitable partners as a key hurdle to settling down, a government study has revealed.
Many also said they have no time to socialise after starting work or did not know how to start. They also find matchmaking agencies too profit-oriented and not overly concerned about making matches.
For those who were in a serious relationship, some considered having a place of their own as important before they would consider marriage.
These were among the key findings from a series of consultation sessions with more than 300 people held in April to July to get feedback on the marriage and parenthood situation in Singapore, including the barriers.
The exercise was to help the Government better understand the impact of the last review carried out in 2004, when a package of measures was introduced to encourage more marriages and births in Singapore.
3 main obstacles to marriage & parenthood
There were three running themes across socialisation and marriage, and having and raising children that could affect Singaporeans from trying to fulfil their personal marriage and parenthood goals.
# Financial support
While financial support in itself was insufficient to encourage participants to have another child, it was deemed necessary to provide support to some extent given rising costs.
... more
The 2004 package seems to have arrested the decline in the total fertility rate, said a statement on Tuesday from the National Population Secretariat, which worked with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), REACH and the National Family Council (NFC) to conduct the exercise.
After hitting a low of 35,135 in 2004, the number of resident births has increased slightly each year since 2005 and reached 37,074 in 2007.
However, the total fertility rate now stands at 1.29, a long way below replacement level of 2.1 and one of the lowest in the world, said the statement.
Singles viewed socialisation as the first step towards marriage and parenthood. While costs could delay marriages, the determining factor was more often than not the ability to meet a suitable partner.
Key considerations for couples
For couples, financial security, time and childcare arrangements were three key considerations.
In particular, parenthood was increasingly viewed as a shared responsibility between the couple as women wanted to have children and work at the same time.
Key factors cited as challenges to having and raising children include:
# Financial concerns: The costs of bringing up a family in Singapore were high, especially when tertiary education for children was taken into consideration at the point of deciding whether or not to have more children.
There were suggestions for fathers to be allowed to claim tax benefits currently meant only for working mothers, especially if the couple includes a stay-at-home mother.
# Lack of work-life balance: There seemed to be social stigma in leaving the office on time, much less taking time off for family.
Some women said they were afraid of losing their jobs or that their positions would not be kept for them if they took longer leave to care for their children.
Women generally wanted a career and children at the same time but it was a challenge trying to manage and balance both.
Some participants pointed out other seemingly non-related policies that could have an effect on work-life balance , for example, timing of ERP charges could discourage people from going home early.
# Lack of quality and affordable infant-care and childcare facilities: Many couples did not want their children to be raised by foreign maids.
However, there seemed to be a lack of mid-range infant-care and childcare centres that were affordable and of good quality.
The feedback revealed that employers and business leaders generally recognised and were supportive of a more family-friendly workplace that would enable employees to better balance work with social and family needs.
But some employers were concerned with the cost impact and asked the Government to co-share the cost of any additional workplace measure.
The key findings will help the Government plan how it can support couples in getting married and having children, said the statement.
'The Government recognises that getting married and having children is ultimately a personal decision; it can only facilitate and support that desire and help turn it into a reality,' it added.
S'porean singles would rather focus on career ahead of marriage
SINGAPOREAN singles would rather would rather focus on their career ahead of marriage, and many cite difficulty in finding suitable partners as a key hurdle to settling down, a government study has revealed.
Many also said they have no time to socialise after starting work or did not know how to start. They also find matchmaking agencies too profit-oriented and not overly concerned about making matches.
For those who were in a serious relationship, some considered having a place of their own as important before they would consider marriage.
These were among the key findings from a series of consultation sessions with more than 300 people held in April to July to get feedback on the marriage and parenthood situation in Singapore, including the barriers.
The exercise was to help the Government better understand the impact of the last review carried out in 2004, when a package of measures was introduced to encourage more marriages and births in Singapore.
3 main obstacles to marriage & parenthood
There were three running themes across socialisation and marriage, and having and raising children that could affect Singaporeans from trying to fulfil their personal marriage and parenthood goals.
# Financial support
While financial support in itself was insufficient to encourage participants to have another child, it was deemed necessary to provide support to some extent given rising costs.
... more
The 2004 package seems to have arrested the decline in the total fertility rate, said a statement on Tuesday from the National Population Secretariat, which worked with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), REACH and the National Family Council (NFC) to conduct the exercise.
After hitting a low of 35,135 in 2004, the number of resident births has increased slightly each year since 2005 and reached 37,074 in 2007.
However, the total fertility rate now stands at 1.29, a long way below replacement level of 2.1 and one of the lowest in the world, said the statement.
Singles viewed socialisation as the first step towards marriage and parenthood. While costs could delay marriages, the determining factor was more often than not the ability to meet a suitable partner.
Key considerations for couples
For couples, financial security, time and childcare arrangements were three key considerations.
In particular, parenthood was increasingly viewed as a shared responsibility between the couple as women wanted to have children and work at the same time.
Key factors cited as challenges to having and raising children include:
# Financial concerns: The costs of bringing up a family in Singapore were high, especially when tertiary education for children was taken into consideration at the point of deciding whether or not to have more children.
There were suggestions for fathers to be allowed to claim tax benefits currently meant only for working mothers, especially if the couple includes a stay-at-home mother.
# Lack of work-life balance: There seemed to be social stigma in leaving the office on time, much less taking time off for family.
Some women said they were afraid of losing their jobs or that their positions would not be kept for them if they took longer leave to care for their children.
Women generally wanted a career and children at the same time but it was a challenge trying to manage and balance both.
Some participants pointed out other seemingly non-related policies that could have an effect on work-life balance , for example, timing of ERP charges could discourage people from going home early.
# Lack of quality and affordable infant-care and childcare facilities: Many couples did not want their children to be raised by foreign maids.
However, there seemed to be a lack of mid-range infant-care and childcare centres that were affordable and of good quality.
The feedback revealed that employers and business leaders generally recognised and were supportive of a more family-friendly workplace that would enable employees to better balance work with social and family needs.
But some employers were concerned with the cost impact and asked the Government to co-share the cost of any additional workplace measure.
The key findings will help the Government plan how it can support couples in getting married and having children, said the statement.
'The Government recognises that getting married and having children is ultimately a personal decision; it can only facilitate and support that desire and help turn it into a reality,' it added.
