Family matters: The parenthood conundrum

What price, parenthood? The answer, expectedly, depends on who you ask. The norm for decades now – after a very successful ‘stop at two’ campaign – has been families with one or two children.

Those with five or more kids are a rarity in Singapore today. So rare, that some of these parents say they often get asked, “are they all yours?”.

These couples are bucking the trend, opting to have large families – in Singapore this is defined as three or more children.

Researchers say the data suggest that parents are increasingly hesitant to have a third or subsequent child because of the financial, caregiving and career sacrifices involved.

These considerations are not unique to Singaporeans. The falling TFR pattern is similar elsewhere in Asia. ST’s correspondents in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea found out from parents there that they too, cited similar reasons for keeping the family small. With just one child, they say they would be able to provide “the best” for their sole offspring.

Ultimately, deciding whether to have children, and how many, is a deeply personal choice, and one that could potentially shape the trajectory of Singapore’s future.

— Jaime Ho, Straits Times Editor

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