Kids, in this economy? Singaporeans on the barriers to having more children, if at all

SINGAPORE – Young people here are delaying parenthood, having fewer children or choosing not to have any.

With the resident total fertility rate (TFR) hitting a record low of 0.87 in 2025, the Government has formed a workgroup to study issues surrounding marriage and parenthood and consult Singaporeans on the challenges they face.

Young Singaporeans told The Straits Times that measures such as financial incentives and more parental leave are not enough, as they do not address the personal and career trade-offs involved in having children.

Couples who have taken the plunge say the rewards of parenthood outweigh the challenges, but wanting to do right by their children has also made them more hesitant about having more.

Here is what Singaporeans say about raising children.

Going beyond basic needs

Ms Rachael Chen, who has a four-year-old daughter, said she is content with having one child.

She conceived her daughter through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) after two failed attempts in her early 30s.

Ms Chen, who works in the creative industry and declined to give her age, said she had always wanted to be a mother.

“I love children... and I wanted to experience the feeling of endless and unconditional love,” said Ms Chen, who braced herself mentally and physically to go through IVF after she and her husband could not conceive naturally despite years of trying.

“It was a lonely and stressful process, but it was worth it.”

Together with her husband, a cinematic artist, she wants to provide more for their daughter, beyond basic needs.

This includes overseas trips, weekend activities such as zoo visits or watching plays, and enrolling her in enrichment classes that interest her, without worrying about finances.

Dreams and limits

Similarly, for 27-year-old Tiffany Fletcher and her husband, the main obstacles to starting a family are money and time.

Ms Fletcher said they would love to have three or more children. Her husband grew up in a big family, while she, an only child, remembers growing up feeling lonely.

“But we worry about having a big enough house to raise them, enough money to feed them and provide enrichment or tuition classes to keep up with their peers, enough time to spend with them, considering we would both have to work full time, and time to get to know them and shape them into bright, happy, kind, contributing members of society.”

Ideally, she would like each child to have their own bedroom, so having three children would require a four-room home, she said. The couple currently lives with her husband’s parents while awaiting the ballot results of their Build-To-Order flat.

“Realistically, we would be able to support only one child,” the audio-visual technician said.

Balancing trade-offs

Singapore Armed Forces regular Sharon, who declined to give her full name, originally wanted to start a family before turning 30, but is now uncertain. She got married in 2025.

The 29-year-old fears having a child now could disrupt her career and lead to missed work opportunities.

“I am slightly afraid that when I do have children, being a mother will become a big part of my identity. I don’t know if that’s a positive or negative thing,” she said.

Moves such as increasing parental leave and cash support are good but not enough, she added.

“The most important thing is the fundamental desire to be a parent. It takes a lot of sacrifice to be a parent, and if that desire is missing, then no amount of money will or should change a person’s mind.”

Ms Sharon and her husband plan to revisit their decision in a year.

Challenging times to raise children

Another couple, Mr Martin Li, 35, and his wife, considered having children when they got married six years ago. But as they grew older, factors such as career, identity and the state of the world changed their minds.

The couple, who both work in sales, said they want children to be born into a society that is young and vibrant, without the expectation of caring for an ageing population.

“I want to do right by my kid,” he said.

The couple is open to adoption, preferring to provide a better life for a child who already exists.

The reality of workplaces

After tying the knot in 2024, Sham (not his real name) and his wife decided to try for a baby, wanting to experience the emotional bond and fulfilment of caring for a child.

Raising their son, who is now two years old, has been deeply fulfilling, he said.

Employers are increasingly attentive to the needs of families, but “only to a certain extent”, said the 29-year-old communications executive, who wanted to remain anonymous.

“It is not ingrained into workplace culture for family to be ‘important’,” he said. “People may give you grace with a newborn, but when your child is five, will people still be as understanding?”