Forum: Reframe parenthood for a new generation

I refer to the Opinion piece “

Will an endowment of $300,000 per child move the needle?”

(Feb 16).

Recent discussions on compensation for caregiving raise valid questions about the “motherhood penalty” and the opportunity costs parents face. Many young couples feel this tension deeply – childbearing often coincides with the most intense career-building years, when stepping back can feel like stepping off track.

But if parenthood is framed mainly as income lost that must be reimbursed, Singapore risks reducing a profound human experience to a line on the balance sheet.

For many millennials and Gen Z adults, the hesitation about having children is not just about housing prices or childcare bills. It is also about identity and purpose – how to stay true to personal growth while embracing a role that demands daily sacrifice personally and professionally.

In a culture that prizes productivity and constant progress, caregiving can seem like a detour. But it can also be a powerful reset.

Through my work with young fathers and mothers, I have seen that parenthood need not be the end of ambition; it can be the reshaping of it. Parenthood cultivates empathy, patience, creativity and long-term thinking – the very qualities needed in workplaces and communities.

Yes, structural support is vital. Flexibility at work, stronger support for shared parental leave and Central Provident Fund-linked caregiving credits could make balancing family and career less daunting. These policies signal that caring for the next generation is a shared national investment, not a personal liability.

Yet, if parenthood is treated as only an economic shortfall to be offset with large cash payouts, Singapore risks hollowing out its meaning. Children should never have to be “worth it” financially before they are welcomed into the world.

The demographic challenge here is real, but there is also a cultural one. How caregiving is valued, how men participate in family life, and how workplaces honour the importance of family as a building block of society – these will determine whether family life can truly flourish.

Children are not merely future taxpayers; they are citizens with great potential to be innovators and community-builders. Embracing a broader view of parenthood today will contribute to building the thriving Singapore that everyone here deserves.

Carol Loi Pui Wan
Founder
Village Consultancy