![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
04-09-2021, 06:54 AM
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A TROUBLING TREND
Similar to what was highlighted by couples CNA spoke to, Assoc Prof Tan echoed that the cost of living and work-life balance are the most pressing issues that current government policies have yet to resolve.
“But more importantly, we need to prioritise child-rearing, and employers should rethink the way they evaluate the contribution of their staff members," he said.
Dr Tan Poh Lin, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy under NUS, said it was “quite troubling” to see the trend of more women remaining childless.
She explained that the motivations for having a first child are “generally understood” to be different from those for having subsequent children.
For instance, having a first child could stem from desires to experience parenthood, while having more kids could be to provide siblings, or have children of both genders.
The problem is that the first set of motivations “tends to be more intrinsic and less amenable to changes in circumstances, including policy initiatives”, she said
“What may be easier to tackle is to introduce more of a focus on encouraging earlier childbearing, to forestall cases of involuntary childlessness that result from delaying childbearing,” she added.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin...s-15139522
A TROUBLING TREND
Similar to what was highlighted by couples CNA spoke to, Assoc Prof Tan echoed that the cost of living and work-life balance are the most pressing issues that current government policies have yet to resolve.
“But more importantly, we need to prioritise child-rearing, and employers should rethink the way they evaluate the contribution of their staff members," he said.
Dr Tan Poh Lin, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy under NUS, said it was “quite troubling” to see the trend of more women remaining childless.
She explained that the motivations for having a first child are “generally understood” to be different from those for having subsequent children.
For instance, having a first child could stem from desires to experience parenthood, while having more kids could be to provide siblings, or have children of both genders.
The problem is that the first set of motivations “tends to be more intrinsic and less amenable to changes in circumstances, including policy initiatives”, she said
“What may be easier to tackle is to introduce more of a focus on encouraging earlier childbearing, to forestall cases of involuntary childlessness that result from delaying childbearing,” she added.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin...s-15139522
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