When's the right time? Why family formation keeps getting delayed

The decision to have children is about timing - and in today's climate of uncertainty, the timing rarely feels right.

- Amy Lim

Member of Parliament Cassandra Lee commented in Parliament on Sept 24 that, with the Government's support to ease career and caregiving responsibilities, now would be the best time to start and raise a family.

Alas, it may not be.

Amidst high population density, rising costs of living and graduate unemployment, the Government's support of work-family balance though helpful - is unlikely to shift family-starting decisions in a meaningful way.

A recent study led by this writer and her colleague, Professor Patrick Loh, examined the views of 148 young adults across six local universities (both public and private) on marriage and parenthood.

The findings showed that young people value marriage and children but also place great importance on work-life balance. They rated work-life balance measures as the most important and influential policy in their decision to start a family, above all other family-friendly policies.

Yet, despite repeated enhancements to the Marriage and Parenthood Package - including longer parental leave current measures do not sufficiently address the realities couples face.

Some 73 per cent of respondents said current policies are only partially effective.

Interviews conducted by our teams revealed that parental leave brings not only recovery (for mothers) but also repercussions: missed promotions, career insecurity, and added strain on colleagues, which can create workplace tensions. Respondents also noted that current measures barely dent the long-term costs of raising a child, particularly if healthcare needs arise.

Those who viewed the policies as limited reported lower intentions to have children, longer delays in starting families and more negative attitudes towards parenthood than those who viewed the policies as effective.