The 2025 National Budget should reflect the growing diversity of the country as it turns 60 years old this year, says gender equality group AWARE. This sentiment is central to AWARE’s recommendations for National Budget 2025, which we submitted to the government on 12 Jan.

We underlined that our housing, education and healthcare policies do not account for the diversity of Singaporean families. Singaporean families with single parents or same-sex parents face restrictions in their ability to buy or rent HDB flats, as our housing policies do not recognise them as families. Low-income transnational families, that is, families with Singapore citizen(s) and one or more migrant family members, face cripplingly high costs of education and health. This is because migrants face a higher cost burden for these resources in comparison to Singaporeans.

Ultimately, Singaporean families with single or same-sex parents, or transnational families, are all Singaporean families, and they deserve equal access to housing, education and healthcare.

The diversity of workers is also not fully accounted for in the Workplace Fairness Act, which passed on 8 Jan. While it protects employees from discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities and more, it excludes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, which is predominantly targeted at LGBTQ+ workers. It also excludes foreign domestic workers, migrant workers, gig workers and platform workers from protection under the Act. The WFA should be expanded to protect all workers.

Our recommendations also include our long standing calls for universal basic income or a Caregiver Support Grant to provide financial security to caregivers, who often have to move to part-time work or forego work entirely to fulfil their caregiving duties.

You can read our full list of recommendations below.

SG60: Building Our Singapore Together

• To cultivate a cohesive national identity, inclusivity must be central to our progress. Our education system must integrate lessons on diverse family structures—such as those led by single parents or same-sex couples—to normalise differences and reduce stigma.
• Housing policies must evolve to reflect the diversity of Singaporean families. We should not discriminate against unwed parents, who currently do not qualify as a family nucleus with their children for the purchase or rental of HDB flats. They are only entitled to purchase HDB flats as singles once they are 35 years old or above. Parents under 35 years of age or who cannot afford to buy and wish to apply for a rental flat can only appeal to HDB and have their applications considered on a case-by-case basis.
• All children should have equal access to education and health. Low-income Singaporean families with a migrant spouse or migrant children suffer cripplingly high costs of education and health for non-Singaporeans, affecting their well-being on many levels.
• Enabling decent livelihoods for all is key to a stable society. Workfare Income Supplements should be more easily accessible and recognise the critical need for a higher cash component, especially for low-income self-employed persons.
• Singapore’s success as a harmonious home depends on addressing the various systemic barriers that prevent vulnerable groups from thriving, so as to create a more equal playing field for them.
• Empathy underpins a compassionate society, and Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is key to fostering it. Addressing consent, gender stereotypes, and gender-based violence equips youth with values for respectful relationships. It is also where we should start to address gender-based violence. A 2022 survey found 55% of respondents wanted sex education to include sexual consent, while 86% of parents identified it as the most crucial topic. We urge the government to adopt UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance to implement CSE in an age-appropriate manner.

Providing Opportunities for Skills Upgrading and Jobs for Workers

• Addressing the gender wage gap and labour force participation disparity (LFPD) is paramount in fostering a fairer economy and social cohesion. Annual evaluations of these gaps and setting targets to reduce the unadjusted gap to below 10% and the adjusted gap to below 3% within a decade would result in more focussed and intentional interventions. Targets to reduce the LFPD between men and women to below 5% within 10 years should also be set and worked towards. These measures should align with recommendations in the White Paper to better protect women, including improving caregiver support and workplace protections.
• The Workplace Fairness Act should be expanded to safeguard all workers – such as gig and migrant workers and platform workers – against all forms of discrimination. There should also be comprehensive legislative protection against harassment in the workplace, with requirements for grievance-handling mechanisms, protection against retaliation and the right to compensation for aggrieved workers. These measures will ensure Singapore’s working environment remains a place where everyone can thrive. To this end, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) should be well-resourced and trained to deal with all forms of discrimination and harassment that are raised to it, whether under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices or the Workplace Fairness Act.

Supporting Singaporeans across Different Life Stages

• A family-friendly nation is one built on policies that support parents at every stage of their journey. Expanding childcare options through licensing childminders and increasing night care services will address gaps in accessibility. Waiving late childcare pick-up fees for low-income families will ease financial pressures. This is especially so for unmarried and/or migrant parents with children, offering much-needed stability to underserved groups.
• Caregivers play an invaluable role and are often unpaid and unrecognised. Flexible family care leave would ease the strain on working caregivers and the introduction of a universal basic income or Caregiver Support Grant, with cash and CPF components, together with contributions to retirement funds, would provide financial security to non-working caregivers. Enhanced collection of disaggregated data—including gender, age, ethnicity, and nationality—is crucial for developing nuanced policies that enable targeted interventions that can address the needs of care recipients and support caregivers in their care plan.
• By embracing inclusivity, fostering empathy, and supporting vulnerable groups, Singapore can build a society where everyone is valued, thrives and contributes to a united and progressive nation.

Previous recommendations by AWARE for the National Budget can be found here: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.