HIGHER FERTILITY RATE IN LOWER-INCOME FAMILIES

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Health what are the possible causes of the higher fertility rate in our lower-income families leading to higher order births.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Lower-income families generally have a larger family size. This is a world-wide phenomenon and we are no exception. In 1992, families earning less than $1,500 have, on average, 2.3 children, whereas those earning more than $4,000 have only 1.7.

There are two main reasons for this. First, lower income families tend to be less educated. They tend to marry and start their families earlier. They also tend to rely more on children as a source of economic support and old age security. These factors lead to their preference for a larger family size. In Singapore, the desired family size among those earning less than $1,500 is 3.0, as compared with 2.8 for those earning more than $4,000.

The second reason is related to the use of contraceptives. Studies have shown that the contraceptive usage rate is much lower among the lower income families although the knowledge of contraceptives is almost identical across all income groups. 58% of married women among the lower income families (earning $1,500 or less) are not using contraceptives as compared with 43% among families earning more than $4,000.