FERTILITY RATES AND MATERNITY LEAVE

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FERTILITY RATES AND MATERNITY LEAVE

16.

Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what is the total fertility rate (TFR) in Singapore since the implementation of the enhanced baby bonus and extended maternity leave schemes; (b) whether there are any significant changes in the fertility rates amongst the different demographic groups according to age, race, income and educational levels; (c) what is the rationale for capping the government-paid maternity leave reimbursement at $10,000 per month (inclusive of CPF contributions); and (d) whether this policy discriminates against the top 5-10% of the female workforce.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: After four consecutive years of declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR), the TFR for 2005 remained steady at 1.24, same as that for 2004. It is premature to judge whether the Marriage and Parenthood package of 2004 has been successful. Nonetheless, it is encouraging to know that, compared to the same period, January to August last year, there has been an increase of some 451 babies in 2006.

The TFR across all ethnic groups has been declining. For the Chinese, the TFR decreased from 1.51 in 1995 to 1.08 in 2005. In the same period, the TFR for Malays dropped from 2.50 to 2.07, and for Indians, it fell from 1.71 to 1.24. Across all ethnic groups, the more educated Singaporeans are consistently having fewer children.

An MCYS Marriage and Parenthood Survey conducted this year revealed that 83% of 3,000 married respondents agreed that the Marriage and Parenthood Package had created a friendlier environment for having and raising children.

Maternity leave has been extended from 8 weeks to 12 weeks. For the first and second child, while employers continue to pay for 8 weeks of maternity leave, the Government pays for the additional 4 weeks of maternity leave, up to a cap of $10,000. And for the third and fourth child, Government pays for the entire 12 weeks of leave, subject to a cap of $30,000. The cap of $10,000 per month is reasonable because only a small minority of women, about 3%, earn above $10,000 per month, in 2005.

For these high income women, financial concerns are generally not the main constraints influencing their fertility.