EXTENDED PATERNITY LEAVE

EXTENDED PATERNITY LEAVE

50.

Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports in view of the falling birth rate in Singapore (a) whether the Government will consider adapting the Swedish system to give extended leave from work to husbands to encourage men to shoulder greater responsibility in looking after their children; (b) what plans are in the pipeline to improve gender equality so that both parents can recognise their shared responsibility in parenting and tending to housework; and (c) what is the Ministry's position on the Swedish system's approach to boosting birth rates.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: While paternity leave has not been legislated, fathers of young children can tap 12 days of child-related leave provided for in legislation – six days of paid childcare leave for children up to seven years old and six days of unpaid infant care leave for children up to two years old. Both parents are able to apply for the 12 days of leave each to look after their infant. As such leave is to enable parents to spend time with their children, no medical certificate is required for the child when taking such leave. Some employers also provide paternity leave on a voluntary basis. In addition, fathers may utilise their annual leave or agree on alternative work arrangements with their employers, such as part-time work or no-pay leave, to enable them to look after their children.

I am heartened to note that many fathers are increasingly playing a larger role at home. In 2009, there were more than 25,000 claims made to the CPF Board in respect of Government-paid childcare leave taken by fathers, just slightly below the 27,000 claims for mothers. MOM's statistics also shows that about 47% of companies offered paternity leave in 2008, compared to 40% in 2004 and 43% in 2006. I expect this trend to

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increase as more employers become more enlightened. Businesses should also realise that they require new approaches for talent attraction and retention, and this includes helping employees – both males and females – to better integrate their career and family aspirations.

The more fundamental and difficult challenge is the question of gender equality. In our society, women have equal rights to education and employment. We have legislated equal access to childcare and infant care leave for both fathers and mothers. However, both partners in a marriage must work out the optimal arrangements and division of responsibilities for their own families. We all know that men need to do more at home, but we cannot legislate this.

Ms Lee Bee Wah has asked for our views on the Swedish approach to supporting families. It is true that the Swedish have very generous benefits for parents and children. However, these perks are not free. Taxpayers ultimately pay for all this. Personal income tax at the local level is about 30% while income above 340,000 Swedish Kronor (around $60,800) attracts an additional state tax of 20%-25%. There is also a Value Added Tax of 25%. I do not believe we can afford to have such high levels of taxation and remain competitive.

Nevertheless, we have been putting significant resources to support families through Government-paid leave schemes, Baby Bonus, tax benefits, and subsidies for childcare, education, healthcare and assisted reproduction treatment. The budget for the whole suite of Marriage and Parenthood measures comes up to $1.6 billion annually. But at the end of the day, the Government alone cannot boost birth rates. Having children is a personal decision. Singaporeans must want marriage and parenthood and willingly make the sacrifices for the sake of our children. We also need all sectors of society to make adjustments to enable individuals to integrate work and family life in practical ways.

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