Topic > Declining fertility rate in Singapore: 1960s to 2000s

IndexIntroductionDemographic and family policies in SingaporeThe post-independence years, 1965–1975Eugenics phase, 1983-1986Pro-natalist policies and the familyCurrent issues and the way forwardReferencesIntroductionSingapore is a Southeast Asian city-state with a population of approximately 5.7 million. In recent decades, Singapore's population demographics have undergone a backward shift as birth and death rates have declined rapidly, leading to a large increase in the average age of its population. Since the 1970s, Singapore's birth rate has been below the replacement rate of about two children per woman during her childbearing years. For a small nation that relies largely on labor as its primary resource, the low replacement birth rate is of great concern to both the Singapore government and its people. Ultimately, declining fertility rates and increasing singletons have become a harmful norm. The fertility rate is the main topic of this article which analyzes the state's response to the difficult situation of the population and critically analyzes the capacity of these interventions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayPopulation and family policies in SingaporeThe post-independence years, 1965-1975Singapore has had a respectable record of sustained economic growth over the past fifty years. From 1965 to 2000, Singapore's GDP per capita grew at a high annual average of 5.8%, making it one of the countries with the highest economic growth rates in the world. Undoubtedly, as Singapore prospered into an economic powerhouse in Asia, its economic and social policies involved a high degree of government orchestration in shaping the “everyday” lives of Singaporeans. Moving from a third world nation to a first world nation, Singapore's demographic trends have strictly followed suit. Singapore's post-independence period, between the years 1965 and 1975, saw the government move towards urban renewal, socioeconomic planning and extensive industrialisation. Unfortunately, at that time, the country was plagued by large-scale unemployment, population growth, and urban housing shortages. As a solution to the country's widespread unemployment, the government created economic opportunities through the expansion of manufacturing industries and the conversion of agricultural spaces into industrial parks. With the creation of more jobs and high demand for a skilled workforce, formal education and vocational training were accessible to all, regardless of race or gender, and were considered the only means of social advancement to enter to be part of the workforce. Women were trained and soon became an indispensable part of the national workforce. The female labor force participation rate steadily increased, from 28.2 percent in 1970 to 44.8 percent in 1984. Men and women found themselves with no choice but to join the government's anti-welfare philosophy. The family policies implemented by the government were largely focused on population control. The government felt that it was imperative to limit population growth in order to efficiently utilize its human resources on the country's economic spreads. In an attempt to achieve this goal, the Family Planning and Population Board (FPPB) was formed in 1966, established to be responsible for decreasing Singapore's net birth rate and net reproduction rate and in the hope of achieving the ultimate goal of population growthzero for Singapore. A series of family planning events were launched and promoted through the FPFB to gain public support for the policy. Among the most important activities were advertising movements that carried slogans such as “Small families, better future – Two is enough” and “The more you have, the less they get – Two is enough”. By convincing their people to have smaller families and younger children, the government believed it could effectively mitigate the problem of poor health and overcrowding. Furthermore, financial incentives, such as free education and healthcare benefits, were introduced for smaller families, while financial support was stopped for those with larger families. It can be observed that Singapore's fertility rate in the years when population control policies were implemented steadily decreased, from 4.46 in 1966 to 2.35 in 1974, indicating that the family policies implemented by the government had been successful and had shown fruitful results. urban housing in Singapore, many lived in unhygienic slums and crowded squatter settlements. The futuristic government found it necessary to address the housing crisis as they saw the possibility that it could detrimentally affect people's productivity. Therefore, in 1960, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) was established with the task of resolving the difficult housing situation. HDB aimed to provide “fully equipped modern homes with amenities for all who needed them”. From 1964 the HDB began to offer the housing units for sale at below-market prices, on 99-year leases. Housing units were made affordable for families with lower incomes and loans were also made available to owners. With the attractive “Home Ownership for the People” programme, many Singaporeans found themselves moving into HDB flats and enjoying the positive benefits of a hygienic and modern standard of living. Eugenics Phase, 1983-1986 Social and cultural factors governing the nation-state worldwide. its period of development acted as catalysts for population control. The policies implemented have been highly effective but devastating to the nation's fertility trends. In 1975 the replacement fertility level was reached, and by the early 1980s the total fertility rate (TFR) had fallen below the replacement level. For a small nation, a continued decline in TFR would eventually result in a decrease in population. Declines in marriage rates and TFR were more common among women with tertiary education. Consequently, it was inevitable that current population control policies would have to be renewed. An approach attuned to population growth was soon introduced, with new policies aimed at encouraging those with better means of living to expand the size of their families. The reasoning behind it was that those with higher education would be endowed with better genes, so the union of two graduates should result in “brighter” children. This period, commonly referred to as the “Eugenic Phase,” was unpopular, especially among its target group. - the graduate community. New pro-natalist family policies were soon introduced to encourage women with tertiary education to marry and have more children. In 1984, the Social Development Unit (SDU) was established to provide matchmaking services to single graduates. On the other hand, less educated mothers were rewarded with a cash subsidy of SGD 10,000 if they underwent sterilization. In short, during this phase, adual policy: those who were deemed capable and capable parents were encouraged to have more children and those who were not, were encouraged to stop at two. Unfortunately, the population did not take the new policies very well, so the national TFR continued to fall further. Another notable factor in the decline in TFR was changes in family structure. Extended family arrangements that were ubiquitous in the previous decade began to decline as families moved from large communal arrangements into public housing units. Consequently, the nuclearisation of Singapore's families can be seen as a “natural” consequence of the country's pursuit of economic growth and industrialisation. Pro-natalist policies and family Following the failure of the social eugenics program (the number of women with a higher level of education preferred to remain single or have fewer or no children), new pro-natalist policies were introduced in 1987. The government's creation of the key slogan, “Have three or more children if you can afford it” was an attempt to avoid the discriminatory tone of the eugenics era, establishing a new measure of “affordability” while simultaneously replacing the previous emphasis on degrees in the eugenic era. However, the new policies continued to provide benefits to mothers with a higher level of education, although their main goal was to provide incentives for married couples to father more children. The promotion of the new policy brought about numerous benefits and policy changes, just like the anti-natalist policies, the government made use of extensive media coverage to campaign in the hope of persuading the public to appreciate the new benefits of having more children . The main targets of the campaign were married couples and unmarried singles. Popular slogans such as “Children – Life would be empty without them”; and “The most precious gift you can give your child is a brother or sister” were often accompanied by images depicting a happy family, appealing to the majority. In contrast, unmarried singles would often be bombarded with reminders not to neglect building a family during their pursuit of career advancement. The government introduced income tax relief for children, child care subsidies for working mothers, and granting income tax relief on the levy on foreign maids for working mothers. In addition to various subsidies, the government introduced the Child Bonus Program, a two-tier payment that provides cash and contributions to the Child Development Account, to ease the financial costs of raising a child. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Present and the Way Forward Fertility has not responded as many had hoped, and this may echo the fact that baby bonuses and tax breaks for children are essentially not adequate to gain much change from the high costs monetary related to the raising of children. Furthermore, the culture in many Singaporean workplaces remains hostile to those who prioritize family over responsibilities to their company, and this may strongly discourage women from having a child who could cloud their career prospects and relationships with colleagues. One possible solution nowadays would be to rely on immigration and foreign talent, in the hope that they can help increase the net population. References Asher, M. G., & Nandy, A. (2008).,. 12, 1996.