Singapore’s total fertility rate has been steadily decreasing since 1970 from 3.07 to 1.19 in 2013 (Singapore Department of Statistics 2014, p. vi), a phenomenon that has mirrored other capitalist economies in Asia such as Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. In fact, Singapore’s total fertility placed third lowest in these 5 Southeast Asian Countries (Wong 2012). Such a phenomenon has been a cause for widespread concern due to the host of societal problems it could potentially create such as slow economic growth and ageing population. A low fertility rate reflects how Singaporeans are not willing have more children and it is important to delve deeper into the reasons as to why this is so. While there has been many pro-family policies
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This is apparent by delayed marriages and an increase in number of people who are single. The median age at first marriage has risen for both males and females from early to late twenties over the course of 1970-2014 and proportion of singles has increased from 30.6 to 32.1 percent for the period of 2003-2013 (Singapore Department of Statistics 2014, p. vi, 6). The desire for monetary rewards may have driven Singaporeans into staying single and putting aside their aspirations to start a family in order to focus on their careers. This can be seen from how employees in Singapore are averaging working hours of 45.8 per week (Ministry of Manpower 2014) and this surpasses World of Work Report’s definition of normal working hours as 40 hours and less per week (International Labour Organisation 2014, p.90). This highlights how the work market in Singapore is extremely competitive whereby Singaporeans are expected to commit many hours to working in order to earn a stable income. Thus, many Singaporeans are choosing to sacrifice family life for their work aspirations. Even if they do marry, they marry at a later age. The delayed marriages would also mean that family sizes are likely to be smaller since fertility of women decreases with …show more content…
28). It is estimated that Singapore population will increase to 6.9 million by 2030 (Yahoo! Newsroom 16 February 2013). However, this has led to a backlash and rise of xenophobia as 4,000 people gathered to protest against the Population White Paper (Yahoo! Newsroom 16 February 2013). Some of the main concerns Singaporeans hold regarding the embracing of immigration are the fierce competition of jobs foreign labour would bring about and how the authenticity of Singaporean identity would be diluted (Chang 2013). While competition of jobs may be inevitable, the extent of the competition can be minimised. In fact, some industries have already erected barriers to foreign labour, with stringent requirements such as the possession of Singapore citizenship (or minimally Permanent Resident status) in order to qualify for certain jobs. On the other hand, the idea of a diluted Singaporean identity may be an issue that is harder to resolve since it revolves around people’s perceptions. However, many have also countered that ‘being a Singaporean is not a matter of ancestry’ and ‘cultural assurance’- having a clear idea of themselves is key to ensuring that immigration does not threaten the Singaporean identity (Chang 2013). Hence, changing public’s perceptions and
This is apparent by delayed marriages and an increase in number of people who are single. The median age at first marriage has risen for both males and females from early to late twenties over the course of 1970-2014 and proportion of singles has increased from 30.6 to 32.1 percent for the period of 2003-2013 (Singapore Department of Statistics 2014, p. vi, 6). The desire for monetary rewards may have driven Singaporeans into staying single and putting aside their aspirations to start a family in order to focus on their careers. This can be seen from how employees in Singapore are averaging working hours of 45.8 per week (Ministry of Manpower 2014) and this surpasses World of Work Report’s definition of normal working hours as 40 hours and less per week (International Labour Organisation 2014, p.90). This highlights how the work market in Singapore is extremely competitive whereby Singaporeans are expected to commit many hours to working in order to earn a stable income. Thus, many Singaporeans are choosing to sacrifice family life for their work aspirations. Even if they do marry, they marry at a later age. The delayed marriages would also mean that family sizes are likely to be smaller since fertility of women decreases with …show more content…
28). It is estimated that Singapore population will increase to 6.9 million by 2030 (Yahoo! Newsroom 16 February 2013). However, this has led to a backlash and rise of xenophobia as 4,000 people gathered to protest against the Population White Paper (Yahoo! Newsroom 16 February 2013). Some of the main concerns Singaporeans hold regarding the embracing of immigration are the fierce competition of jobs foreign labour would bring about and how the authenticity of Singaporean identity would be diluted (Chang 2013). While competition of jobs may be inevitable, the extent of the competition can be minimised. In fact, some industries have already erected barriers to foreign labour, with stringent requirements such as the possession of Singapore citizenship (or minimally Permanent Resident status) in order to qualify for certain jobs. On the other hand, the idea of a diluted Singaporean identity may be an issue that is harder to resolve since it revolves around people’s perceptions. However, many have also countered that ‘being a Singaporean is not a matter of ancestry’ and ‘cultural assurance’- having a clear idea of themselves is key to ensuring that immigration does not threaten the Singaporean identity (Chang 2013). Hence, changing public’s perceptions and