Ask any young, childless couple in Singapore why they do not have children and you get a gamut of reasons ranging from lack of time and funds to perceived parenting fears.
There is no need to conduct a survey to confirm these answers, as listed in "Yes, we want kids, but ... " (Feb 22).
A friend leaves his two young children with his parents on Sunday evenings and picks them up on Friday nights after work - he and his wife work long hours during the week. I am sure they are not the only couple who practise this in Singapore.
It is sad that parents can only spend time with their children on weekends, but due to work exigencies, they hardly have a choice, do they? Quit and look for another job with better hours?
Most jobs in Singapore demand up to 14 hours of work a day. Work part-time or earn less pay for more time?
Expenses and the cost of living have gone up, and there is a need to live comfortably and raise two children. For those faced with these quandaries, the foregone conclusion remains this: Have fewer children or none at all.
Some suggest that implementing work-life balance initiatives in companies would help to encourage pro-family attitudes.
I posed this to a senior human resource practitioner once, and he commented that work-life balance depends on how the employee manages his or her lifestyle and time, and does not emanate from the employer.
Ergo, I am convinced that work-life balance to him means simply bringing the workload home to complete.
If the workload is overwhelmingly heavy for an employee, then lugging it home merely shifts it (and accompanying stress) from one place to another. The work still demands the employee's social and family time.
The story of a junior animator, who worked up to 18 hours a day and earned $1,800 without overtime payments ("Why young PMEs are unwilling to join", Feb 22), strengthens my case in point. He probably does not even have time for social activities, let alone to meet a suitable partner and get hitched.
There are 24 hours in a day - a commodity which cannot be increased - and with jobs that demand long hours, coupled with the rising cost of living and suppressed wages, is it any wonder that young couples are not procreating enough (or at all, for that matter)?
Let's face reality. Unless and until a drastic overhaul of the work environment is scrutinised, analysed and transformed into one that provides reasonable remuneration and does not demand employees' personal and family time, no amount of maternity benefits, childcare leave and baby bonuses are going to have any major effect on Singapore's total fertility rate.
Their infinitesimal effects of the past few years speak for themselves.
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/Isay/EDC100224-0000052/Raising-the-birth-rate-begins-in-the-office
