A majority of Yahoo! Answers users feel that the Singapore government’s plan to launch a new dating campaign for singles will not work.
A government tender was put out last week for a new month-long campaign to encourage love-shy singles to start dating in the hope it will eventually help boost Singapore’s low birth rate.
But almost all the 72 respondents who responded to the question we posed on Yahoo! Answers, “Do single Singaporeans need another dating campaign?” believe the government push will not work because it will still have failed to tackle a key issue: the high cost of raising a child.
Yahoo! user Lily lamented that it less about finding a partner but more about the rising cost of living.
“Getting married is a huge responsibility. Considering the standard of living in this country is very high, getting married also means that they need to save more money for their future use such as their children’s education, basic necessities such as clothes, food,” she said.
“If it requires both parents working overtime to support the family and live a ‘comfortable’ life, then they might as well not get married because they hardly get to spend much time with their children and they leave the job of taking care of the children to their maid,” she added.
ylime agrees: “Everyone’s too busy thinking about money, and we can’t help it. Because the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the bill meter starts.”
Former television actor Nathaniel Ho (@iamnatho), 25, also tweeted in response to the question and said, “In a nutshell, it’s too expensive to settle down. People want big weddings and HDB, sitting on a mountain of debt before their life starts together.”
A growing number of career-minded singles are also increasingly comfortable being self-sufficient.
Yahoo! user, nGin, a Singaporean single in her 30s, confessed: “As a Singaporean female in my thirties, why would I want to get married and invest my hard-earned money into some else (such as spouse, children and family) when I could splurge on my own luxury indulgences?
“Why would I reduce my chances of career promotion without the ability to outlast my competitive colleagues who can work more overtime and put in that extra bit of effort that has to come with quantitative contribution in the office?” she asked.
But a few commended the government’s latest effort to play Cupid.
Another user Kheng Oon Ang said, “Knowing our government, they cannot sit back and do nothing. If they can succeed in helping one couple, it is better than nothing. Every couple counts, so just give them some credit in trying.”
SComments perhaps summed it up best when he said: “The government needs to put REAL incentives in to make this work, not just another measly campaign. If money is the reason they (couples) are not getting married, having kids, then make MONEY the incentive… reward Singaporeans for having children and bearing the cost of raising up kids and career sacrifices.”
Thank you for the incredible, amazing response to Yahoo!’s Fit-To-Post blog so far. We continue to welcome your views and comments but please don’t abuse this opportunity. Be nice. Be courteous. Be sensible. Respect the feelings of others and refrain from using any kind of offensive language.
A government tender was put out last week for a new month-long campaign to encourage love-shy singles to start dating in the hope it will eventually help boost Singapore’s low birth rate.
But almost all the 72 respondents who responded to the question we posed on Yahoo! Answers, “Do single Singaporeans need another dating campaign?” believe the government push will not work because it will still have failed to tackle a key issue: the high cost of raising a child.
Yahoo! user Lily lamented that it less about finding a partner but more about the rising cost of living.
“Getting married is a huge responsibility. Considering the standard of living in this country is very high, getting married also means that they need to save more money for their future use such as their children’s education, basic necessities such as clothes, food,” she said.
“If it requires both parents working overtime to support the family and live a ‘comfortable’ life, then they might as well not get married because they hardly get to spend much time with their children and they leave the job of taking care of the children to their maid,” she added.
ylime agrees: “Everyone’s too busy thinking about money, and we can’t help it. Because the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the bill meter starts.”
Former television actor Nathaniel Ho (@iamnatho), 25, also tweeted in response to the question and said, “In a nutshell, it’s too expensive to settle down. People want big weddings and HDB, sitting on a mountain of debt before their life starts together.”
A growing number of career-minded singles are also increasingly comfortable being self-sufficient.
Yahoo! user, nGin, a Singaporean single in her 30s, confessed: “As a Singaporean female in my thirties, why would I want to get married and invest my hard-earned money into some else (such as spouse, children and family) when I could splurge on my own luxury indulgences?
“Why would I reduce my chances of career promotion without the ability to outlast my competitive colleagues who can work more overtime and put in that extra bit of effort that has to come with quantitative contribution in the office?” she asked.
But a few commended the government’s latest effort to play Cupid.
Another user Kheng Oon Ang said, “Knowing our government, they cannot sit back and do nothing. If they can succeed in helping one couple, it is better than nothing. Every couple counts, so just give them some credit in trying.”
SComments perhaps summed it up best when he said: “The government needs to put REAL incentives in to make this work, not just another measly campaign. If money is the reason they (couples) are not getting married, having kids, then make MONEY the incentive… reward Singaporeans for having children and bearing the cost of raising up kids and career sacrifices.”
Thank you for the incredible, amazing response to Yahoo!’s Fit-To-Post blog so far. We continue to welcome your views and comments but please don’t abuse this opportunity. Be nice. Be courteous. Be sensible. Respect the feelings of others and refrain from using any kind of offensive language.
