I was frustrated to see single women being singled out as one major cause of Singapore’s falling fertility rate when there are myriad other factors affecting one’s decision to have children. (Rising share of singles is one main reason for Singapore’s great baby drought: Report, 9 June 2024)

These may range from the personal, like difficulties finding a suitable partner, to larger societal issues, such as the fear of facing workplace maternity discrimination and the climate crisis.

Beyond this group, however, there are mothers who do have children but for various reasons, remain unmarried and thus are perceived to have deviated from the “traditional family ideal”.

In addition to the absence of a partner who can share the financial and child-rearing load, single unwed mothers cannot access various resources under existing policies and schemes merely because of their marital status.

As they are not recognised as a family nucleus, unwed mothers have to jump through additional hoops to purchase public housing flats and do not qualify for several housing grants.

Further, they do not qualify for many tax reliefs that married couples enjoy, including the Working Mother’s Child Relief and Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Relief. This is compounded by their ineligibility for the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, which could significantly cushion the cost of raising a child alone.

One such mother whom we spoke to shared that without these benefits, she constantly worries about her family’s financial stability, even as a mid-career worker, and works multiple jobs to support them. Being ineligible for tax reliefs is especially burdensome for her as tax takes up a significant portion of her income, perhaps even greater than that of her married counterparts. The rising cost of living will only worsen her financial strain.

Why should these families be penalised just because life’s circumstances have led them to parenthood independent of marriage? Are they not also contributing to society, as well as the country’s fertility rate, and deserving of the same support as other “traditional” families?

If we truly want to “create a Singapore where all families are valued and supported”, as stated in the government’s “A Singapore Made for Families 2025″ Plan, much more needs to be done. We reiterate our recommendations for child-related benefits to be equalised regardless of parents’ marital status, and for unwed parents and their children to be recognised as a family nucleus under housing policies.

(397 words)

Lee Yoke Mun
Senior Project Executive, AWARE