Forum: It’s not just about more children, but also those at different starting points
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I refer to the article “ The way we define success makes it hard to raise children in Singapore”
In Singapore, success remains closely tied to academic performance and career progression. While pathways have broadened, our dominant narrative still privileges and prioritises grades and credentials.
This makes parenting feel high stakes, as each stage of a child’s development appears consequential.
As a father of a son who is autistic, this concern is personal. The issue is not whether society is willing to “accept” different abilities. It is whether there are credible adult outcomes for children whose strengths lie outside the academic track and are yet to be discovered. This includes meaningful vocational routes, stable employment and dignified livelihoods.
Calls to broaden definitions of success are welcome. But unless this is reflected in labour market structures, employer practices and sustained respect for non-academic excellence, it remains rhetorical.
If only a narrow band of achievement leads to security and social standing, the perceived risks of raising children increase. When multiple pathways to purposeful adulthood are visibly viable, parenting may feel less uncertain.
Addressing our fertility challenge therefore requires more than incentives. It requires shaping our cultural narrative of success with tangible opportunities for all our children, regardless of their starting point.
Benjamin Yeo Yul Chuan
