[h=2]Ex-NMP: Singaporeans will have more babies if they change their attitude towards their career[/h]Posted by temasektimes on May 5, 2012
Singaporeans are likely to have more babies if they change their attitude towards their career, said former Nominated Member of Parliament and sociologist Professor Paul Straughan.
Speaking at the Institute of Policy Studies roundtable on Thursday, Straughan said young people between the ages of 25 and 29 are reluctant to date or get married because they are too caught up trying to scale the corporate ladder.
“(Meritocracy) is what pushes our young Singaporeans into overdrive in paid work…because we are a capitalist economy, work achievements have transformed the way we deal with ourselves until it has become, for many, the only mark of success.”
The long working hours with little improvement in productivity is cited as a contributory factor and Straughan suggests revamping Singapore’s renumeration system by increasing the base salary for workers which will help to improve work-life balance and take the pressure off Singaporeans who feel the only way to advance in their careers is to work long hours.
Straughan did not mention about the sky-rocketing prices of HDB flats, stagnant wages and increased cost of living which are the key reasons behind young Singaporeans postponing marrying and starting families of their own.
Singaporeans are likely to have more babies if they change their attitude towards their career, said former Nominated Member of Parliament and sociologist Professor Paul Straughan.
Speaking at the Institute of Policy Studies roundtable on Thursday, Straughan said young people between the ages of 25 and 29 are reluctant to date or get married because they are too caught up trying to scale the corporate ladder.
“(Meritocracy) is what pushes our young Singaporeans into overdrive in paid work…because we are a capitalist economy, work achievements have transformed the way we deal with ourselves until it has become, for many, the only mark of success.”
The long working hours with little improvement in productivity is cited as a contributory factor and Straughan suggests revamping Singapore’s renumeration system by increasing the base salary for workers which will help to improve work-life balance and take the pressure off Singaporeans who feel the only way to advance in their careers is to work long hours.
Straughan did not mention about the sky-rocketing prices of HDB flats, stagnant wages and increased cost of living which are the key reasons behind young Singaporeans postponing marrying and starting families of their own.
