Singapore’s push to make marriage and parenthood more achievable is entering a more difficult phase — one that cannot be solved by government benefits and leave policies alone.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah has warned that changing workplace culture and societal attitudes may be among the hardest parts of Singapore’s broader effort to support families, as the country confronts record-low fertility and growing pressure on working parents.
The issue has gained renewed urgency following Singapore’s 2025 fertility figures. The country’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.87, while fewer than 30,000 live births were recorded — the first time the annual figure had fallen below that level in about six decades. Around 24,700 marriages were registered in 2025, down 6.2 per cent from the previous year.
The workplace problem Singapore cannot solve with leave alone
Rajah has repeatedly stressed that expanding parental and childcare leave is only one part of the solution.
The government’s Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, which she chairs, is examining how Singapore can make family life more achievable and supported across the entire journey of raising children. The workgroup is expected to release its full findings in early 2027, although some recommendations are being brought forward earlier.
One of the biggest challenges is what happens after policies reach the workplace.
Singapore already has measures intended to give employees greater flexibility. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests took effect in December 2024, requiring employers to properly consider formal requests for flexible work arrangements.
But flexibility does not automatically mean working from home.
A recent CNA analysis found that flexi-time and flexi-load can be particularly important for parents and caregivers, because the ability to control when and how much they work may be more useful than simply working from another location. Around seven in 10 firms offered some form of flexible work arrangement in 2024, compared with about half before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bigger obstacle, therefore, may be whether employees actually feel safe using those arrangements.
When flexibility exists — but workers are afraid to use it
CNA has reported accounts of employees who were technically allowed to work flexibly but still feared being judged, sidelined or perceived as less committed.
That distinction matters.
A policy can exist on paper while workplace expectations continue to reward employees who stay late, remain constantly available or put work ahead of family responsibilities.
Rajah has argued that Singapore needs to move away from seeing work and family as competing priorities.
In an April interview, she said employees should be able to leave work before dark to spend time with their families and enjoy weekends and public holidays without work interruptions except when necessary. She also raised the idea of making career “detours” more acceptable, including allowing women to step away from work for two or three years to raise children without effectively sacrificing their careers.
Singapore’s fertility crisis makes the workplace debate more urgent
The workplace discussion comes against a rapidly changing demographic backdrop.
Singapore’s fertility rate has continued to fall despite years of policies supporting marriage and parenthood. The government has described the demographic trend as a serious long-term challenge, with an ageing population expected to reshape the country’s society and economy.
Rajah has said that the issue cannot be addressed through policy measures alone.
The government’s proposed “Marriage and Parenthood Reset” therefore includes not only financial and childcare support but also a change in how workplaces operate and how society views parenthood.
The workgroup is examining issues including the cost of raising children, childcare and infant-care access, caregiving, housing, healthcare, education and workplace practices.
More childcare leave could expose another workplace fault line
The debate has become even more immediate following the 2026 National Day Rally, where Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced expanded childcare leave provisions.
Under the new arrangement, working parents with one Singaporean child aged 12 and below will receive eight days of childcare leave annually, with the entitlement rising to 10 days for those with two children and 12 days for those with three or more children. The government will reimburse employers subject to the existing reimbursement cap.
But that raises another question: who covers the work when a parent takes leave?
Businesses have already raised concerns about employees having to absorb additional workloads. Some companies are considering compensation for workers who cover for colleagues on childcare leave, while others point to the need to redesign jobs and improve work processes.
That could become one of the biggest tests of Singapore’s family-friendly workplace ambitions.
If companies simply transfer the burden from parents to their colleagues, resentment could grow between employees with and without children.
A recent CNA commentary argued that employers may need stronger cross-training, clearer handovers and better work design so that an employee’s absence does not automatically fall on the same colleague every time.
The real target: workplace culture
Rajah’s position is increasingly clear: leave is important, but workplace culture determines whether employees can actually use it without fear.
Government statements have acknowledged that line managers and supervisors play a particularly important role because they determine how leave and flexible arrangements work in practice.
The government has also said it wants employers to view flexible work arrangements as part of their human-resources strategy rather than as an inconvenience.
In August, Rajah reiterated that workplace culture and day-to-day norms can have a major influence on whether people feel able to pursue both career and family aspirations.
That means the challenge extends beyond HR policies.
It involves managers, co-workers, senior executives and employees themselves.
What happens next?
Singapore is now trying to tackle two problems at the same time: giving parents more practical support and changing the environment in which those parents work.
The government has already begun moving some measures forward instead of waiting for the Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup’s final report. More family-support measures were announced around this year’s National Day Rally, while workplace culture remains an area requiring further work.
The difficult part may be changing an attitude that has existed for years: the idea that a committed employee should always put work first.
Singapore can provide more leave. It can subsidise childcare. It can encourage flexible work.
But if workers still fear that taking family time will hurt their careers, the policy may never deliver its full effect.
And that is precisely why the next phase of Singapore’s parenthood push may be less about what the government gives families — and more about what workplaces are willing to change.
Leave a Reply