More Singaporeans not mentally ready for babies: Poll

While money tops the list of reasons why Singaporeans are not having more babies, another factor - being not mentally prepared - is proving a growing barrier.

About two in five people polled last year said they were emotionally ill-equipped to have children, compared with just three in 20 in 2010.

I Love Children president Joni Ong (The Straits Times/The Asia News Network)This made it the second-most cited reason by the more than 600 people surveyed by voluntary welfare organisation I Love Children (ILC) at the end of last year. The other reasons cited were time, career being a priority, and the lack of quality or affordable childcare support.

The aim of the ILC Parenthood Survey was to understand the parenthood concerns and perceptions of young couples.

Those who took part were between the ages of 21 and 39, with the majority married for more than two years but childless. The rest were single, soon-to-wed, newly wed, married with a child or married with two children.

Money remained a key concern among those surveyed. Half of the respondents said it played a big part in their decision whether or not to start a family.

ILC president Joni Ong said this came as no surprise. 'When we were in school, we were told that having academic excellence is part of being successful... family was not even in the equation,' she added, noting that this mindset has to change to boost the total fertility rate (TFR) here.

Singapore's TFR picked up slightly last year, rising to 1.2, but this was from a historic low of 1.15 the previous year.

In his Chinese New Year message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the need to address the factors standing in the way of Singaporeans having more children. While he assured couples that more would be done to reduce the burden of parenthood with measures like the Baby Bonus Scheme, he said a critical factor is 'creating the supportive social climate and attitudes that will encourage couples to have more children'.

That was borne out by the ILC survey results - about four in 10 respondents said they would have children when there was support from a spouse, parents or members of the extended family.

Ong, who is also the National Family Council deputy chairman, agreed, citing her own experience: 'Living in a three-generational family has... allowed me to juggle my work and family.'

But the mother of five said many parents would want to give their children the best that money can buy, which often adds undue pressure for them.

Younger Singaporeans like corporate bank analyst Audrey Lim, 24, agree. 'It's not just about having the time to care for them, but society is also very competitive now and it takes a lot of effort to take care of a child properly,' she said.

But Ong believes children can still be brought up in an affordable way.

'About 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in the heartland and send their children to (PAP Community Foundation) kindergartens. These children are doing well in school. It simply boils down to how you manage your finances,' she said.