PM Lee urges more babies in Year of Rabbit
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You guys seen this?
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_631999.html
Makes me wanna migrate there now..................$350 a month till the kid is in their teens WOW! but then again they do pay much higher taxes (but I've heard folks who migrated to Aust who say they don't begrudge the taxes one bit for the better work-life balance there).
ST Forum
Feb 7, 2011
What it is like to be a mum in Finland
I AM a Singaporean mother who is currently on maternity leave in Finland ('Encourage gender equality and the babies will come'; Jan 22). I was holding a job there - technically, I still do - when my child came along.
A month before my expected delivery date, I started my maternity leave. For the next eight months, I would receive up to 80 per cent of my salary with two full months paid for by the company and the rest covered by the state.
After that, should I choose to stay at home with my baby in his formative years, my position in the company would be held for up to three years. A child allowance of ā¬200 (S$350) is also paid monthly until the child grows well into his teens.
Family-friendly benefits are by no means restricted to mothers. Fathers are given up to three weeks of paternity leave. And because they are expected to chip in with child rearing, a certain portion of benefits can be shared by the father if he stays at home while the mother returns to work.
Benefits in Finland are classed as maternity and parental allowances to reflect the equally important role of fathers in bringing up a child.
Singapore has come a long way to join the First World club but like its counterparts, it is also afflicted with the bane of falling birth rates. Singapore's policymakers must weigh the pro-business policies that keep the cost of labour low and make Singapore competitive, against the cost of creating an environment where the burden of having a baby does not fall squarely on the mother's shoulder.
A paradigm shift in people's mindset is also needed so that women are not discriminated against in the workplace and men play a bigger role in parenting.
Ashley Chang (Ms) -
toddles:
this IS incentiveYou guys seen this?
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_631999.html
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Yong HL:
this IS incentive
Yes... I agree. Encourage gender equality and the babies will come. In Sweden, the govt policy FORCES fathers to take paternity leave by CUTTING maternity leave by up to 2 months if the father does not take leave.
We got to know an Israeli couple whilst living in USA. The husband was HUGE (1.9m tall with broad shoulders) and had actually seen active war duty. His new born fit into the palm of his hand. He told me one day when I offered to hold his baby \"Anything my wife can do, I can do just as well. I just can't give birth. I don't need you to help hold my baby.\" They have 6 kids.
In the past Swedish fathers didn't participate in childcare. Thanks to Swedish govt policy, social expectations have changed. Swedish society no longer respect men who do not participate in childcare. Singapore has all along used policy to mould social values. Where did our fascination with meritocracy come from, if not govt policy?
We've traditionally been great believers on social engineering. I don't see why LKY is now saying that the Singaporean society is not ready for enforced paternity Swedish style. Policy can mould society. And one wonders where AWARE is, in all this.
Here is a chance to move our society forwards and aside from trying to convert our youths to the benefits of homosexuality, there is not a peep from AWARE. -
Chenonceau:
Yes... I agree. Encourage gender equality and the babies will come. In Sweden, the govt policy FORCES fathers to take paternity leave by CUTTING maternity leave by up to 2 months if the father does not take leave....
I love this! :lol: If NS can turn a boy into a man. Then let's have a policy that can turn man into a hands-on daddy! Sounds good. :celebrate: -
Chenonceau:
Yes... I agree. Encourage gender equality and the babies will come. In Sweden, the govt policy FORCES fathers to take paternity leave by CUTTING maternity leave by up to 2 months if the father does not take leave...
I feel much more strongly these days about shared childcare leave between mums and dads.
Hey, can't let the women have ALL the FUN!!
Seriously, it'll be good for the men, I am completely on board.
I like your little sideswipe at AWARE too...... -
to all parents out here in this post
haha...this post got me thinking and became sleepless yesterday night, asking myself why oh why i still dare to even think of having number 3 even though I do not have much support except depend on DH, myself & FDW lol...agree with so many of your sharings here like tamarind, toddles, laughingcat & many more...
i am a mother of 2 DS & both DH & myself will love to have more than 2 kiddos, 3 or more were what we had both written down during our Marriage Preparation Course 8 yrs ago. Fast forward, now, deep down in our hearts, we both still want to for a number 3 (crazy haha) but the fears and worries are heaps if we have one again.....contradicting hor
you are all right saying no amount of incentives will entice those who already decided in their minds to stop at one or two to have another kid. But I have alot of friends who have 2 kids, they will still love to try to have another one. If our govt is daring enough to give big, bold incentives, like free childcare, free maid levies, paid grandparents' incentive (for those grandparents that help to take care of their grandkids) free maternity incurred expenses (like if you choose to give birth in a govt hosp, fees will be FOC), fortnightly family allowances given base on some means testing, free vacinnations even in GP, free doctor fees even in GP, etc..
Why I said even in GP cause I understand vacinaations are FOC in polyclinics? Cheap doctor fees in polyclinics? Okay, I believe most parents in KSP go to GP instead of polyclinics. We are not spoilt but I will rather go to the GP near my place than wait more than half a day to see a doctor in a polyclinic which will make me more sick due to the waiting time. When I was in Australia, I can go to any GP for my boy's free vacinnation or to see doctor. Doctors' fee will be FOC while medication at pharmacy will be heavily subsidised, we will pay first then claim it from the Medicare office (Australia's healthcare program). Can our govt has something like that for us too? (those that have kids and the elderly) Seriously, our govt is so rich, they can do much more for us right?
Our govt can also consider to give out some family allowance per fortnight base on mean testing. It will provide help and some comfort especially for those single income family. One thing I find an irony, alot of time, those SAHMs or SAHDs are the families that are willing to give birth to more kids but they are also the one with the least help. Can someone out here do a voting on whether parents are willing to give birth to one or two more kids if they have siginificant help from our govt? Hope someone here is from MCYS and hear all our feedbacks and maybe select some of us to have a discussion with our PM..hehe... -
3Boys:
Actually cannot say \"mercenary parents\" lah.
But honestly (I be nice now), sometimes its just a bit of posturing I think. Singaporeans can't resist getting a better deal if they can swing one. I do sincerely believe most couples don't calculate down to the last bonus dollar or maid salary increment when they weigh up having children, and probably love them to bits and indulge them like mad regardless.
But sometimes, reading the posts in the press and fora, you really get such a impression of mercenary parents trying to extract their pound of flesh or blackmailing the g'ment.
Having children is indeed a joy, I am sure likewise for everyone out here 
When first started out as a parent, I doubt any of us actually calculate whether our bank has enough before we pop right. It just go natural.
Along the way being a parent, changes take effect in terms of education, health etc. As a responsible parent, I am sure every parent out there want to give their children a stepping stone into the society. A stepping stone in terms of $ in their bank for their studies and whatever future they might hold. It may be little, but at least to go somewhere. Think of it this way, it is us as parents to give them a headstart and not the government. The faster they have a headstart to contribute to the workforce also beneficiary to the economy as well right. That is my thought lah. -
3boys... some people really need the help lah... check this out...
http://www.wenaili.blogspot.com/ -
laughingcat:
I love this! :lol: If NS can turn a boy into a man. Then let's have a policy that can turn man into a hands-on daddy! Sounds good. :celebrate:3Boys:
Yup, agree it's all about political will.
I feel much more strongly these days about shared childcare leave between mums and dads.Chenonceau:
Yes... I agree. Encourage gender equality and the babies will come. In Sweden, the govt policy FORCES fathers to take paternity leave by CUTTING maternity leave by up to 2 months if the father does not take leave.
We got to know an Israeli couple whilst living in USA. The husband was HUGE (1.9m tall with broad shoulders) and had actually seen active war duty. His new born fit into the palm of his hand. He told me one day when I offered to hold his baby \"Anything my wife can do, I can do just as well. I just can't give birth. I don't need you to help hold my baby.\" They have 6 kids.
In the past Swedish fathers didn't participate in childcare. Thanks to Swedish govt policy, social expectations have changed. Swedish society no longer respect men who do not participate in childcare. Singapore has all along used policy to mould social values. Where did our fascination with meritocracy come from, if not govt policy?
We've traditionally been great believers on social engineering. I don't see why LKY is now saying that the Singaporean society is not ready for enforced paternity Swedish style. Policy can mould society. And one wonders where AWARE is, in all this.
Here is a chance to move our society forwards and aside from trying to convert our youths to the benefits of homosexuality, there is not a peep from AWARE.
Hey, can't let the women have ALL the FUN!!
Seriously, it'll be good for the men, I am completely on board.
I like your little sideswipe at AWARE too......
If we cared about babies as much as the politicians a) say they do, b) cared about national defence (which we should, since having one's population half in size in the absence of immigration is no joke), then if they can put So Much Money into mindef's budget, what is it to allocate a fraction of that to childcare incentives/subsidies?
If they can legislate for every NSman to go back for reservist EVERY YEAR (and pay employers ridiculous sums for the men to lobo in camp), what is it to legislate a month of paternity leave when a child is born (at most 2 or 3 in a lifetime right) or 2 weeks of childcare leave a year (and pay the employers for the loss, whilst the men actually productively spend time with kids, as opposed to waiting to rush and rushing to wait)? -
Ok ladies, I wave white flag here hor :siam:
Too taxing to be simultaneously pummelled on 3 different thread at once.......want to maintain peace whilst there are at least a few people still on speaking terms with me.
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