PAP Women’s Wing to gather women’s views, submit recommendations to marriage, parenthood workgroup
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Ms Sim Ann, who chairs the PAP Women’s Wing, speaking at a Mother’s Day celebration event in Rochester Park on May 9.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
- The PAP Women's Wing is holding listening sessions from May to November, gathering women's experiences to inform government recommendations on marriage and parenthood.
- Singapore's low TFR of 0.87 (2025) led to a new government workgroup, chaired by Indranee Rajah, aiming to reset marriage and parenthood support.
- Topics the Women's Wing will cover include finding partners, fertility crossroads, and parenting pressures, acknowledging women's anxieties about career sacrifices, cost of living and raising children.
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SINGAPORE – The PAP Women’s Wing will gather perspectives and lived experiences from women in Singapore to provide recommendations to the Government’s new inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup.
It will gather feedback through listening sessions with the public from May to November. These sessions will cover four broad areas: navigating parenting pressures; fertility; the journey of finding a partner and getting married; and the decision to have children.
The first session was held on May 2, with about 130 participants discussing the issue of parenting.
Ms Sim Ann, who chairs the PAP Women’s Wing, said it welcomes a reset in Singapore’s approach towards supporting marriage and parenthood, and will play its part in distilling women’s lived experiences and perspectives for the Government’s consideration.
She made this announcement at a Mother’s Day celebration event on May 9 in Rochester Park, attended by about 250 PAP Women’s Wing activists.
The wing will also delve into additional areas beyond the four themes, said Ms Sim.
“Your voices and your lived experiences must form the backbone of our recommendations that we intend to submit to the workgroup and to the Government,” she told the audience.
The new inter-agency workgroup was announced during the Budget debate in February after Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.87 in 2025.
The group is chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who is also Second Minister for Finance and National Development.
Its members include Minister of State for Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Health Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, and Minister of State for MDDI and Education Jasmin Lau.
The work group will release a full report in early 2027.
Ms Sim, who is Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, said the topic of marriage and parenthood has occupied the attention of the Women’s Wing for some time, and it has been tracking and reflecting the evolving perspectives of Singapore women on this issue.
“We know the issue is complex. The decision to start a family is deeply personal,” she said.
Some women say they feel immense pressure to raise children right or ensure their child has good opportunities to excel, while others feel anxious over the rising cost of living or the fear that having a child may mean sacrificing personal time or a hard-earned career.
“These are all valid perspectives. Our lived realities and expectations are evolving all the time,” she said.
The next listening session is planned for June 6 on the topic of fertility.
“While the Government has made meaningful moves towards better supporting women’s fertility in the last decade, it still remains a significant challenge for some,” said Ms Sim.
“One aspect is the biological and professional crossroads many women face – how do we better support those undergoing fertility treatments while also seeking to give the best at their careers?”
Other sessions will cover topics such as finding a partner and getting married, and whether having children still fits into a Singaporean’s idea of married life.
On getting married, Ms Sim said: “We need to examine the ‘upstream’ realities prior to parenthood. In a time-starved society, what are the barriers to forming meaningful connections?”
The May 2 session on parenting was organised by West Coast-Jurong West GRC MP Cassandra Lee, who said participants shared concerns on things such as education and artificial intelligence.
A popular question that cropped up at the session was at what age parents should start talking to their child about AI.
Ms Lee said some participants shared that they worry about what they should be doing to better understand how AI is being used, so that they can assist their child in the future, since the technology is being used in schools.
The Mother’s Day event on May 9 also highlighted stories of mothers navigating caregiving struggles and how the community can step up to support those who face multiple stressors.
