<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Mistake to ignore stay-home mothers
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I WATCHED Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech and realised just how much the Government values the working mum and how little the stay-home mother.
I felt disappointed and discriminated against. The Government is simply not interested in persuading stay-home mothers to have more children, presumably because we are not contributing to the economy. Tertiary-educated homemakers like me have been chastised for wasting taxpayers' money on our education. We are constantly reminded that as it is our personal choice, we do not merit any incentives.
Stay-home mums willingly give up their financial independence and put their aspirations on hold because they believe that it is worth it.
They do so despite the disincentives, not because of any pro-creation benefits. They need no convincing about the joys of parenthood and do not fret about lost opportunities.
Doesn't that make them the perfect candidates to have more babies? And surely, they need less persuading.
Stay-home mothers are not asking for handouts, just equality. Give our husbands (the sole breadwinner in our household) the tax incentives you are dishing out to working mums.
With our burdens eased, we may consider having more children. It wouldn't cost the Government as much as the two-month extended maternity payout to the working mums, and may yield far greater results.
Stay-home mums are neither quitters nor parasites. They play an important role at home and are often active community volunteers. Educated homemakers want to stay active and return to the workforce when their children grow up.
The Government should respect a woman's decision to stay home to care for her children, and provide opportunities for her to re-enter the workforce later.
I am fortunate to have started my family early and have discovered other passions while staying home with the children. I am now pursuing a second degree part time in preparation for my re-entry to the workforce when my youngest child goes to secondary school. I shall be 45 years old then, and not too old to embark on a second career.
I urge the Government to consider a two-pronged approach to boost birth-rates. It is already bending over backwards for the working mums and should consider stay-home mothers too.
We are women, we can bear children and we are willing to do so.
Lee Sui Yi (Madam)
