Do we need to resort to matchmaking to increase birth rate?

Question

In the Mandarin National Day Rally speech, PM Lee said that the Chinese community had a very low total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.14. He suggested that maybe People's Association could consider organising Parental Matchmaking Sessions so that parents can find suitable partners for their single children. What do you think?

Answer 1

Different people will have different say. Most of us will probably disagree with this method as Parental Matchmaking after all might do little to help in increasing fertility rate but a fact remains clear, we cannot deny that it may just be one of the ways for couples to get hitched in an indirect manner.



'Resort' shouldn't be the word, it makes people feel that Matchmaking is a disgraceful thing. But Im sure most of us would have read the papers reporting that more people are beginning to sought modern Matchmaking agencies for help. Love is something that the society is beginning to lose touch of, let alone true love and happily ever after. But those who experienced it sweetly before or are still having it will certainly not regret having it once again.



yes, 1.14 is considered low. But if 80 to 90% of the community is contributing , im sure it will not be. Families don't have to have many children, it is the total effort of the community that counts.



Once again, for those who seek match making assistance, do not feel shy or disgraceful about it. If you really find happiness from it, who are those to comment about it?!

Answer 2

Singapore’s population has increased every year to almost 25% over the past ten years - it is now close to 5 million people. The population density of Singapore is now 18,350 people per square mile making it the third most densely populated country in the world. In comparison, the US has a population density of 83 people per square mile. If the US had the same population density as Singapore, the population would be around 68 billion people. This is more than ten times the population of the world. I'm sure I am not alone when I say the malls, parks, highways, parking areas, MRT, buses, and restaurants are already way overcrowded on the weekend. Will adding more people improve the quality of life? I just can't imagine what life in Singapore will be like when the population is pushed another 20% from 4.987M to 6.0M. The next time you are waiting in a long queue, or crammed into the MRT, think about standing there with an additional 20% more people. It will help pass the time

Answer 3

Absolutely not. It looks like our leaders are turning a blind eye to the real issue at hand. That is, the ever-growing living standards in Singapore and the never-growing salaries of S'poreans. Getting married and having a family is a costly affair - the payment starts from the day the couple start on their plans for a wedding, house and subsequently a family.



Parents in one-child families are too busy trying to make both ends meet while at the same time trying to provide a better life for their child to have time to consider having a 2nd child. Like what most of my friends said, 'we're certainly not having a 2nd one when our 1st one is already making us work until face green green.'



The issue here is not perhaps the low fertility rate, but it's actually the points leading to it.



Ever increasing cost of living = can't afford to have a kid when we're struggling ourselves.



Perhaps our ministers should address this issue rather then bringing in matchmaking to low fertility rate. Perhaps the government should realize that it can do better then just giving out sums of money to citizens 'to help them cope with the recession' and 'a baby bonus'.



I can hardly call Singapore my home now when most of the time I ended up paying for bills and taxes. Perhaps this is something our government should look into - the reason for our reluctance of having children or a 2nd child could be due to the fact that it's reasonably costly affair to be able to live comfortably with your kids. Even more so when you're in the middle income group.

Answer 4

Why take the early 20th century approach of 'Parental Matchmaking Sessions' for parents to find partners for their single children, and not the modern 'Meet More People Sessions' for the singles to go find a suitable partner for themselves? What if the partner chosen by the parents is good enough as a son/daughter-in-law but as a life-partner, who should we blame? Our parents for making the choice, or our destiny for being so unlucky??



Also, why single out the Chinese community of having a low total fertility rate? Why don't you say that it is the results of the government successful campaign in the 60s - 80s, and that the Chinese are 'very loyal' follow the Government rules?



Having a child is easy - it just takes a 'moment of folly' or some planning; raising it is not. With prices of basically everything on the rise, bringing up a child is not as easy as the past, when kids are contended with hand-me-downs and simple food. Education, especially, is one of the main luxuries that most parents would want to afford for their child - best piano lessons, superb ballet classes etc... And these don't come cheap.



Also, with all these statistics in the news about how much one will need in order to live comfortably for x years when they retire doesn't do allow young people nowadays to have too much 'plans' (of course, unless you are a wise investor or have a pile of $$ sitting somewhere waiting for you). I am a postgraduate student based overseas and by the time I finish my study, start my career and plan to have a family, I should be in my mid-thirties, and that is if I am just contended with not-so-high-career-ambitions. How could I maintain a family when I can't even survive myself?



If everyone is earning half as much as PM Lee, I believe the TFR will be much better than this current figure. And mind if I add it'll be wise to start 'resorting' to this at home first, PM Lee??

Answer 5

To a certain extent, this may not work. This is because finding a suitable partner and living together are a separate matter! If we are to organise parental matchmaking sessions, some parents would be faster to make the decision for their children, instead of the children who are supposed to.

I think the root of the problem of not getting married is not only i.e spenting more time in career, lacking the time to meet the opposite/others, it is the personality, character, set of values and habits that the person has, becomes the obstacle of attraction and in relationship.

In order to attract, we must fulfil each other basic needs as well as other higher level of needs. We know that more singapore women in todays modern society are more independent, pampered and ambitious.They may have the money, car and career already. Some singapore women might have a sense of fear marrying the wrong partner and losing everything they once have.

Liking someone and living with him/her are a separate matter. After marriage, there must a lot of compromising, acceptance and forgiveness. It is not easy.

Answer 6

Wait who is looking for a life long partner? The singles or their parents? The low fertility rate is not due to people not being able to find partners, but because the new generation of young people have their own sets of priorities.



Secondly, more Cs are required of the single males and career has taken a more significant place for single females.



Thirdly, for people like me, I would love to have more kids BUT the cost of living is much higher now than before. A family can't survive on one income and expect to have more kids. Yes, we can always get a helper so that I can go back to work BUT what is the point of having more kids if I can't be there to see them take their first steps etc.



Lastly, maybe these singles just don't want to get married.

Answer 7

Getting married is certainly a joyous matter. It is the beginning of a new journey.Get married and set-up a family looks simple.PM Lee suggests a simple equation. Matchmaking=Marriage=Multiplication; but many stop at 2. 2 for husband and wife or 2 kids. His team of experts understand the formula has many odds.Chinese in Singapore has high expectation, needs higher assurance and worry of lifestyle changes. The society changes and it cannot be reverted.The government foresee a grave problem. A mild solution to lead out another one is the key of this desperate move. A variable move shall divert a downtrend situation.

Move this move first, Mr.Lee and watch the change.

Answer 8

No. Matchmaking will not restore Birthrate. There are actually alot of people out there who are already attached but yet to get married. Match making is only able to widen our social with friends. But how many of these couple will have happy lasting relationship. I worried it will lead to increase number of divorced cases. Nowadays getting married, buying a house and child-bearing cost a bomb. Government give baby bonus and incentive only when the child is born. But how's about child bearing and buying a house? Government should help from the child-bearing period as well in order to increase the birth rate.

Answer 9

No. That's not the problem. Its not the problem of finding the right one. The current problem lies in the high living expenses. For e.g. Public housing. The location offered- Sengkang and Punggol is actually pretty bad. With Dawson which will be launching next year. The T.O.P is 2014. Its 6 years later and i wasn't even sure if i am able to get one. If i am getting married next year without my own home, how could i give birth to a child without any worries?

The property price of public housing e.g DBSS said designed to cater for 1st timer is very expensive. Not everybody can afford even the first down-payment at such a high price nowadays unless every Singaporean is born with rich parents. Imagined 5, 10 or 20 years back where new public housing is offered at better location and at affordable price? It really speeds up the whole process as everyone would prefer to get their own flat before getting married.

Answer 10

It would be a start but it wouldn't be the solution, look around us, we living in a high cost living standard, who don't want to give their child the best of everything and think again if you have more than one or two, would you be able to afford the best for all?



Look around us, stay near the school gate compound, coffee shops and other public gathering areas and you will catch the drift of pressure, caring and concerned mothers and fathers toiling thier lifes away at what? providing and thinking of ways to prepare their child for for the future, study insurances and policies, best tutors, top tution classes for every talents that child might seem to have, even when he or she in the pre-school stage. what about 15 or 20 years down the stage... worse?



Getting married is not a problem ...maintaining a family and to give it the very best of everythings.... that is THE PROBLEM.



Take a reality check here... how many of the posters here actually said that Match Making will be the answer? and how many or rather should I said how much more said nay? do I need to say more?



Another reality check here, how many percent of marriage divorce in today world in Singapore alone? and these are people who actually spend months and some even years looking for thier soulmate and in the end what happened?



Now talk about match making in which two persons does not know each other... er...leave that to your thinking.



For me, I am 40 plus now... even had a couple years of sweet courtship but in the end, I rather ended it, feeling that I would not be able to give her the best in life even I really wanted to.... am I a fool, yeap...some of you may think so, even now, it would be lie to say that I don't regret but nevertheless, I am also gald that I did it, why, cause she married to a Doctor instead a year later and living in England with her entire family and having two great kids who are now studying to be doctors like thier father. Now what happened if I didn't let go? hmmmm.. I am not a saint neither am I the devil, Maybe you will said I afraid of responsiblity, yes maybe I am, but you cannot denied that she actually now living a better live that I could provide or even dream of.



I would not be able to give her that type of life ...could I? even some of my friends think I make the wrong move but isn't it that had been say, To love someone is to make sure she find her happiness and not to tied her down and own her?



So my suggest is for the goverment to continues to drive better living standard and better does not equal to higher. Help the family to maintain well, when the pressure of living standard is not the main concern, then we can also congrate the Goverment on fulfilling the other main tasks of maintaing a good fertility rate.





Just my 2 cent of thinking here...hope I didn't offend anyone and if I did, my apologies, it not intented to be in the first place. Cheers and have a meaningful life :)

Answer 11

No way! What's good for he parents may not be good for their children. Even if it gets past the stage of getting married, it still does not solve the problem of low fertility rate.

Having children should be an joy, not an obligations. The government can however help facilitate an encouraging environment for couples to have children:



1) Make delivery free

2) From infant to toddler (0-2) free medical care. (this is one of the reason couple does not want to have children)

3) Launch family/company social networking campaigns.

(it is not the amount of leave one can take, but a supporting working environment that permits it)



Incentives/bonus are good, but not detrimental in promoting fertility rates, if bonus are good it would had worked long time ago (unless we are talking about big amount or during desperate times). Baby bonus/incentives are only good for some time and are limited (the same for government packages like NSS), sooner or later people will realise that..

Answer 12

Maybe..theres quite a lot of number of singaporeans remained single. Maybe when more people get married, the birth rate might increase a little but not a lot. Singapore government should consider our difficulties like high cost of living. But maybe high cost of living is not a real problem afterall.. During our grandmother time, they can afford to have alot of children even though they have finciancial problem. If Singapore is really that desperate to increase birth rate, singapore can just force us to have a child and married by a certain age. Well i personally think that maybe singapore can introduce new incentives to company to impose happy hour so that this allows that employees to mingle with each other more rather than keep focusing on their career?

Its not easy to increase birth rate tho...good luck singapore.

Answer 13

Plus and minus...matchmaking is not going succeed 100% of the time, but it is worth the trouble/effort even if it produces some results. However, better results would be achieved if women stop being so high and mighty, and arrogant, just because they have a piece of toilet paper. This is why they remained as old spinsters lar.



As for the 'cost of living' argument, meaning the cost of bringing up children, my take is that this is all rubbish. Singaporeans want to live like royalties, and then complain that they don't earn enough and what what what. Lower your expectations lar.



ERP, petrol too expensive...blame the government? why don't blame yourself? who asked you to buy a car? the government owe you a car or what? when gahment give you money, you spent it on 4-D, football betting, and then say, money no enough. Come on, wake up lar.



Stay in 3 room flat won't die okie? If you wanna live in condo, and rub your face with ****, don't expect gahment to wipe your **** for you, okie? Cut down your expenses, for goodness's sake, and for your own sake.



So there you are! Now you know what's the problem with having more babies?



Now for the solutions. First, send every 18 year old girl to serve 2 years' worth of national service....it is good to let them learn humility...they are way too proud and think too highly of their piece. I have seen such behaviour at work. All the time. Scold them a bit, and they show their temper and throw things...I can imagine why Singapore women (I shant call them LADIES, honestly) can't hold a candle to ladies from other countries. Second, redesign the education system and let the next generation of women study all over again, how to be LADIES. Third, bring in more ladies from other countries and give them Singapore citizenship, so that Singaporean men have more choices, get married and make babies lar.



By the way, this is very urgent as I foresee that many desperate Singaprean women will migrate to find love in The Netherlands.



So simple. Baby problem fixed.

Answer 14

No, what does Parental Matchmaking Session got to do with the Chinese community had a very low total fertility rate?



The couple will want to have a child of their own when they think their job is stable.

Answer 15

I don't think we are addresssing the root cause of the problem. Which is actually due to the standard of living and society pressure. Lifestyle in the Singapore of today has elevates to a much faster pace and cost of living is of course very much higher.

As such, each and every individuals are working very hard to make ends meet. And as a result, most of the people in Singapore are not having quality health due to work stress. So what if they can get married and have children? They maybe bringing more innncent lifes into this stressful society to suffer, if the stress hazard is not being removed.

Humans in the past were much more productive and they don't need any incentives from the government to encourage them to reproduce. Instead, the cases of over production usually occur in most families. Why? That is because, the lifestyle and cost of living is much lower. People are less stressed and do not have much of work pressure. The education system should be good enough that tuition is not a must for every kids (which most poor families can't afford even todays).

The other prime concern is that the education systems of today seems to operate in such as manner that all parents are expected to gear up their child before sending them to school. In the past, most parents are not educated and they really see results by sending kids to schools. They can totally trust the schools to cultivate their children to be educated and successful adults (referring existing adults now). But now, the schools will compliant to parents that the children is do not know their stuffs and expect parents to send their kids for tuition.

Apparently these are the existing problems which have been induced to the present lifestyle of the people and results in the chain effect on subsequent problems.

We need to arrest the problem from root cause. It will not be a permanent solution for the government to keep giving out RED packets.

Such temporary solution maybe able to hook some minorities how are out there to hitch a ride on the perks but the forthcoming social problem will still exist...!

Can't there be a way that lifes just go on out of natural responses instead of too $$$ driven???

Answer 16

Well the first thing the leader *** politicians should do is to find out why people have kids. Just having kids to support economy and replace ourselves will simply not work.



One reason people have kids is to enjoy them. These days with so many gadgets around to have fun and enjoyment is one less reason to not to have kids. People want to go out, travel, play sports, hang out with friends etc. These things seem to be of higher priority than kids. And eventually kids and lifestyle will be competing for same financial resources you have.



The other reason is people like to be independent these days, no one wants commitment, this can also be blamed on life style and consumerism.



People are also much more impatient these days and are less willing to accommodate with their partners, which impacts long term relationships and in return procreation.



There can be many more reasons that can be found like the ones mentioned above. I feel the government policies are contradicting, on one hand they want us to keep spending what we have to improve economy and other hand to have kids which decreases your spending power.



Just increasing the birth rate is not the solution. Ok we have increased birth rate, what happens after that. Can we provide good upbringing to the kids and also ensure that they also procreate. If not then the problem is just delayed by one more generation.



I totally agree that we need a number, but quality is also important. We don't want to have crooks running around this country to spoil all the great hard work put in by the previous generations and the government over the years.

Answer 17

Just this morning, I was thinking to myself if I'll be comfortable surrounded by more and more non-chinese. Not being racist here. This is just so so sensitive in this little island of ours, so I'm not going there. :P



Anyway, back to the question. My take? Matchmaking will not increase birth rate. It MIGHT increase the number of marriages but not necessary births. I look at matchmaking as just another avenue for adults of marriageable age to meet and see if they can click. Ultimately, it's finding LOVE.



Hey! I would LOVE to settle down, have a few kids... but man... it is so tough to just find the RIGHT one. You see? That's the real problem.



Maybe the govt should give some sweet treats to cupid so that little cupid can work harder huh? ;)

Answer 18

There is no reason to resort to matchmaking to increse birthrates. The answer is very simple and lies in the business district of downtown Singapore. With the growing economy and incresed competition form foreign proffessionals, many fresh graduates and executives alike are struggling to make a career for themselfs.



Many of then cannot find the time to date, even if they find the right partner, many new couples end up getting divorced in and average of 5 years. Pressure from bosses, and pressure form family in terms of marriage and other factors in the lives of many Singaporeans contribute to the low birth rate. Welfare of the State or a Welfare State? One or the other has to give.

Answer 19

well the fact is that the modern youths of today appreciate independence and would like to cast away old traditional cultures.



I think that the concept of match-making may sound old to them and something disgraceful in their circle of friends. Match-making might seem like a solution but it's not effective on a whole. I can't imagine myself telling my friends i found my wife through a match-making session. I would probably be laughed at!



A parental match-making session would challenge the modern youth concept of independence. They might think that parents forcing them into marriages and would result in a aggressive outcome (fight and quarrels) and might even cause distant relations with parents. This is indeed unethical.



Rather then using old and traditional methods to convince others to give birth, why not opt for more modern methods such as health care bonuses and people who does household chores bared by the state which is practiced i think in France.



The idea is that parents need not worry too much about "home affairs" but instead they can put their heart at rest and go out to work.

Answer 20

There is probably a correlation between getting married and increased birth rate of the nation. But alas, in the case of Spore, what really completes the equation is the variable of cost of living. With this variable, the correlation is no longer so strong. Factors that citizens take into consideration are cost of rearing up babies, of housing, of personal expenses. This increasing and ongoing cost of living in spore is not something a one time or two time small token sum from the govt can offset - they arent attractive even though it is still a token or gesture from the govt, gesture that may cost the govt something. It is like a drop of water, or two, trying to quench a growing fire - and they broadcast it. Cost of living is something more real than what our PM propose: money management - as if cost of living is the fault of our own mismanagement rather than its objective reality. Whether we manage our money well or not, look at the cost of our income and the price of a HDB flat nowadays. Singapore is just getting too expensive for majority of sporean, and i suspect that the govt can really do something about it other than claiming they know about our struggles and then giving out token sum, if the govt is concerned about birth rate. Remember the equation, remember the hidden constant that upset the variation: your average sporean cant afford private properties, and HDB's pricing is getting more private than public.

Answer 21

OLder parents will not attend. The more modern ones will let their children decide their on future. Don't think it will make much difference.



Have to say that the low fertility rate is really due to people becoming more career minded to chase the high level of standards in Singapore. U will be left behind if you choose not to. I'm a divorcee with a kid, i'm still looking out a start another family, but due to work, the social circle becomes small. I have a group of female friends, mostly single or divorcee, all want to start a family but either can't get the right guys coz the social circle is also small & not much time after work to get to know people. THis is 1 group of people whom the government should look into to help. there are people who want to start a family, already financially stable, but they do not have the chance. Some single lady friends even thinking of being a single mother, they want the child but not the Biological father as they have no faith in man. But we all know our society does not support this. There will be great pressure on them.



The ends of the circle does not meet in our case among the ladies single friends.



We all want kids but no partner..



Sigh...

Answer 22

Now the cycle reaches the full circle.



In the formative years of our lovely Singapore, (Around the 60s), the call was Girl or Boy Two was Enough" not only that, parents who did not ligate would have their children at a disadvantage in school registration.



With the advent of better education, people in positions of responsibility should have triggered the alarm in the mid 70s onwards to start getting Singaporeans to actively procreate. This did not happen till the mid 80s.



Today we see that something old and archraic like match-making making a comeback? This despite opening our doors liberally .......



To reiterate, the cycle has reached its full circle.

Answer 23

The fact that so many Singapore Women are better educated nowadays means that we are not going to simply marry whoever our parents think is suitable for us. In this day and age, doesn't love count for anything?



Just because some people who are match-made "eventually love each other" does not mean that ALL will find the same success. What will happen then? We will find our selves with rising rates of divorce just because we want higher birth rates? A nation of broken homes? Is that what we want?



Women who are better educated want to use their head and their heart when they get married. It just does not make any sense for an educated woman to make an uneducated choice of going into a union blindly, just because her parents think the man is the one for her.

Answer 24

I don't think this works. It's really awkward to have our parents arranged matchmaking sessions for us. We have passed that era.



Seriously, I think the pace of life in Singapore is driving us crazy. Many of my single friends are still unmarried because they really don't have time to go dating. The work pressure and demand is just too great . Often, they are doing more than one person's job with constant downsizing (it becomes a trend rather than an actual need) in their companies.



I am married with a child but my husband & I do not intend to have a second one coz the cost of living is high. We don't want to be paying debts (HDB loan, education loan, etc) till retirement. Secondly, we hardly have time for our child because of the demand at work. Why give birth and dump the child at the childcare centre? Where's family life for such children? What values are they picking up and what message are we sending them?Some of my friends are having one kid or none for the same reason. I have worked in a government agency before, trying out on a part-time work scheme after giving birth. The pay was cut but not the work and responsibilities. In the end, I quit.



A couple of friends have migrated overseas and have given birth to their 2nd and 3rd child there. They are all married to Singaporean man, not foreigners. They are graduates and have become full-time mothers. They like the slower pace of life overseas which give them more family time although the cost of living may not be lower. In fact, we are also thinking of relocating so that our child could have a better life and be appreciated for his talents and not just academic achievements.



Seriously, we need to have better work-life policies in Singapore!

Answer 25

Match-making is a good idea. parents who are blessed with maternal instincts somehow are like a light-detector or scanner. They are able to study the tell tale signs that their children usually miss out. So not only are parents able to find a spouse for their children but one of good and sound character. Our young ones are in the pursuit of chasing 'paper" and 'money' and in the process 'miss the boat' to real and meaningful life. Most of them end up on the shelves the rest marry late when they seem to be less fertile and less romantic. What makes things worse is the current soaring smoking and drinking habit that partially kills the sexual urge between married couples. So this slows the birth rate. So early and timely intervention of parents finding suitable and compatible spouse for their children will help help increase the birth rate and moreover with the total consent and blessings of parents for the couples they take delight in will decrease the divorce rate too.

Answer 26

To some extent, it may help to solve the problem of marriage but not BIRTH RATE. Getting married and increasing birth rate are two different issues although they are related.

You can still get married but may not want to have children.



So to address this problem, one must look/study at the environment that we are in.



Majority of the employers here are not really family-oriented. It is quite understandable because we are always lack of resources and the cost of living (rental especially) is getting higher and higher. Employers trying to earn a profit will tend to "squeeze" every bit out from any worker they employ (be it time and effort). The poor worker will have to follow by all means to keep his or her job secure. (example, working OT, not taking MC when sick etc).



The working hours in singapore must be REDUCED without comprising our effectiveness on the job. The concept and attitude towards working also has to be changed (be it employers or employees).



Workers should be given time-off (family day), flexible working hours or even flexible working environment to accomodate to their family. Singles should be encouraged to attend more social activities (employers should organize more activities etc)



Birth rate is always correlated to the environment we are in now. So with good conditions in place, one need not resort to matchmaking to increase birth rate.

Answer 27

No need to resort to match-making. Finding the person is easy. However the problem here is that cost of living in singapore is very high. Singaporean chinese couples tend to delay having a child to work and save money. By the time the save money, they're old already so how to bear a child now?



Cost of living plays a big role in each and every Singaporean. Aside from this, women are so much into their career that they don't plan of getting married at an early age.



So how???

Answer 28

People moving forward in society, the Singapore Government wants to move backwards! WHY DONT YOU INTRODUCE A CASTE SYSTEM FOR ALL SINGAPOREANS AS WELL! THEN I'LL BE WIPING **** OFF YOUR BUTT. IT WILL BE MY PLEASURE!



IF the government were so good, we the citizens, without FINANCIAL worries and opression to speak freely would have pro-created many years, way earlier.



IF I EARNED AS MUCH AS AN MP, ON TOP OF MY GOVERNMENT PAID JOB, WITH THE ALLOWACES, SEE HOW MANY BABIES I CAN AFFORD TO FEED, GIVE MY FAMILY THE BEST AND NOT HAVE ANY HEADACHES.



Now we are heading into a recession, see how many families WILL REGRET having new borns during the last few years. See the number of Singaporeans migrating away, you will know how good this government is... otherwise, we would have stayed on to REALLY make this our home.

Answer 29

It's funny that many female executives who are earning 5 figures monthly or at least higher then the general population also jump on the bandwagon to use the standard of living as an excuse not to give birth. Sad fact is this is what happens when females are slowly gaining superiority in today's corporate world and leave men like us with much limited choices.

Answer 30

NO! if this really works as what PM Lee said, we will soon see down our HDB shops with tons of match making centre and that will soon result scam or even black market bride waiting for business due to high rental & operating cost of these Centres.

as what i can articulate from this situation are the Cost Of Living which the Gov will never want to understand more from it, settling down with a marriage is a one time issue that properly have drain up their years of saving.

giving birth and bring up a child is a LIFE TIME ISSUE that the couple will stress day in and out. we all know that buying a HDB already cost us to burn our pocket, before even we can step into a house with the reno cost, new furniture etc...

just if we could have hardly own a roof over our head and before we could finish up paying our loans, by than we will soon see our 40's birthday...

Answer 31

I am afraid matchmaking is not the best solution, and it also has some negative effects like 'forced' or 'rushing' relationship.



I understand that the phenomenon makes Singapore government scared. They, and some of Singaporean parents, have made well-intended efforts. But marriage is about commitment of 2 persons. When you enter a marriage, you are expected to think and behave as adults. It means, you take initiative and responsibility. You should do something because you know and you are sure that it is the proper thing, not because somebody else told you to do so.



Based on my experience in living, working, and studying in Singapore, probably I can suggest some reasons why this happens:



1. Demanding environment

Bosses are demanding. Schools are demanding. And most importantly, most of us are demanding. Sometimes I wonder whether most of Singaporeans want too many things (and too much). We want to have a lot of money, to go around the world, to have cars, to buy condos, and so on. We barely ever say enough. We live in one of the safest and cleanest countries in the world, but we oftentimes take it for granted, and demand more. It is good to demand ourselves because it is the only way to be excellent, but we should know our limits.

I had lived in a third world country for few years. The living cost was much lower, but so did the salary. When I compared it to Singapore's situation, I don't think it is of much difference to Singaporeans' situation. Even worse, public facilities like health services, public transportation, etc are lousy. You can't expect comfortable bus or MRT there. Yet I found many of the poor people ( I mean, those whose family incomes are below average income in THAT country) continued getting married and having kids. Sometimes their families barely have enough daily meals, but for them it is not a reason to stay unmarried for years. I am not suggesting Singaporeans to do this, but it is something for us to think over.



2. Lack of 'relationship knowledge & skills'

Well, I have to admit that we are very busy and sometimes forget to develop this skill. But, hey, there are lots of online & offline resources available. I think it is not a very big issue. Moreover, our government have done some effort regarding this.



My suggestion is that government (and other relevant institutions) continue to encourage HEALTHY marriage (well, we expect good relationship and good children, right?) through giving advice regarding this. We should know the reason why we get married in first place, the cost & benefit of marriage, how to initiate & maintain a relationship, how to plan a family, how to raise children, etc. Please remember also, we want good human resources, not money-making machines. Let everything grows naturally. Otherwise, every marriage will end up in divorce.

Answer 32

mostly i will say no...

we are brought up in a culture where parents tell us "DO NOT be in a relationship when you are still in school."

And we respecting our parents decisions, will listen to them and put off any form of relationship until we finish our studies. BY then it will be too late because we are left with little choice of people.

its the mindset of the society that needs to change. As much as education is very important, this is also important. If only there are incentives for undergrads to start a family. and parents are super supportive with this idea... this could mean that couples can get married younger and also will be able to conceive at a younger age...

Answer 33

Matchmaking through parents, dating agencies or friends all serves the same purpose to help singles meet more singles of opposite sex. But people with pride or negative thoughts will think it is embarrassing to get hitch through such ways. There is a local dating agency, clique wise who had been organizing parental matchmaking for worried parents, singles are scared of it as they think it is forced marriage.

Answer 34

There is this one guy that made a comparison by comparing the attitude of singaporean couples toward procreating to those couples living in the less developed countries in Asia such as Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, that Singaporeans tend to wait and "want to make sure" that they can provide enough for the new borns and also still have enough in the end to continue their life style, while the couples living in those 3rd world country, even they could barely put 3 meals a day, they still put priority toward marriage and "procreating".



Me, myself have been growing up, studying, living and working in a few countries. So let me tell u that this guy that did this comparison is an idiot. Let me explain it in the simplest sense



1. The average people living in those 3rd world countries, are less educated than people living in Singapore (being one of the most developed countries). So, the less educated you are, the more simplistic you will think. While if you are better educated, it is natural for u to have a better planning toward your future, career, finances.



Some of those families living in the 3rd world countries, the poorer they are, the younger they get married, the more children they have. some women sometimes got married at the age of just barely 20, and by the time these women hit late 20s, some of them will have 3 or 4 kids already. AND guess what? in most cases, all the kids will have a lack of education as well.



This is just a simple phenomenon that u can observe without needing much intelligence. Dooh!



2. Most of the people in the 3rd world country, especially those living in a Muslim community, especially for the woman, do not have much choices to voice out their opinion. Having lack of education, and no channels to protect them, and society is still taking control over their life, you just let things take control over you. Even when their husband decided to take the 2nd wife or having another mistress.



In such less developed places, the men having the "luxury of taking up more than 1 wife, not necesarilly doing well financially. The wives still need to do part time job such as washing, taking chores, etc etc. Why r they willing to just accept their fate? coz they live in the 3rd world country that's all I can say.



So the guy's argument is totally idiotic!!



Problems of low birth rate has always been a problem in all developed countries. Probably can try some measures to balance up work and life, and also FREE medical care for pregnant women up to delivering babies as well as child care center till the age of school. Can try to adopt the chinese (mainland) system. The child to stay at school from morning till around 5 or 6. (the parents can pick the kids up after work).



Free maternity leave at the expense of companies is definitely a WRONG move. The government going to make it difficult for women (child bearing age) as companies would tend to not hire women seeing them as a financial burden. In the U.S., the government sponsor the maternity leave for 3 months, not the companies.



Singapore P.M. is clearly not a very smart guy listening to his speech :( Quote: If I can change nappies, everbody can do it. Dooh!!! Please come out with a better speech man! The solution to increase birth rate is more complex than just changing nappies!!

Answer 35

There's no point in matchmaking when the couples have no time to go out & spend time dating and knowing each other. If the person is choosy or has high expectations for the future partner, no matter how many times you try to matchmake them, it won't work.

Answer 36

Isn't that going back to hundreds of years back when childrens have no rights of say over maritial affairs? Low birth rates are a signs so problems in the society, as our society progress the costs of time becomes more and more expensive. Individuals lack of social relations do not have the access to social networks tends to marry later with fewer kids. Social development unit(SDU) should open its doors to and omit the high membership fees so as to encourage more people to join and interact to improve on the chances of finding a partner.



The government should also reduce taxs and implement a form of salary handbook or guide line to revise the wages of singaporeans so as to prevent exploitations from capitalistic organisations.

Answer 37

My 2 cents of thoughts on this subject. Personally, I find to increase fertility rate to go this extra mile, is not going to increase the statistic.



Baby do bring joy to the family yet at the same time followed by myriad challenges. To have more jewels of course is a blessing but in this time of everything goes 'up, up, up' not down. Some might beg to differ that older times, our parents can afford to have at least a dozen when our mother is a homemaker waiting bacon on the table by our father. Times changed! Nowadays when you goes marketing with say $50.00 - you get limited stuff.



In my humble opinion, in this millennium era, some children will not let allow parents to find suitable partners for them. Well, there are some filial ones will let parents to determine their happines.



To resort of increasing the national rate, the government is considering organing Parental M atchmaking Sessions - it is too premature as to whether its going to success - only times will give us the answers.

Answer 38

I think it's a cool idea. There are singles out there who would like to procreate, but many do not even have a serious boyfriend. At least the government can target these people to help increase the birth rate once they get married, and leave some married couples who do not want to give birth(like me and my hubby) alone?

Answer 39

The main reason not to have children is their income,

if they have the income to meet all the economical challenges in singapore as automatically they look for next generation, no need to tell any body to give births.My humble advice is to force the companies to hike the salaries as to meet as the living posibilities with one's own families, eg...the rentals increased in a year 40%-50% as against as hiked the salaries of an employee is 2%-5% per annum.

Answer 40

I think this is not a solution. I live and born in Singapore. Only to find out that, in most of my previous companies, they paid foreigners and PRs' much higher salary than me. With same age and less experience than me, they still get higher pay than me. They work less, and complained hell of a lot.



I felt like a loser. Being a singaporean is useless despite having to serve extra 2 and a half years of national service. No recognition by the government. No wonder a lot of people are leaving singapore.

Answer 41

The big Q is not matchmaking. Its the people's mindset, worry about cost, worry about who to take care of the baby and worry about loss of freedom.



Once the people's mindset is changed and they embrace that having little ones are a source of joy rather than issues, birth will come.

Answer 42

i for one just got married early this year after 30 over years of searching Mrs Right.finally i had sigh of relief as i finally got to settle down.well i thought the war is over but hell no it is just the beginning.tis time i am battling the ever rising of cost of living.my newly wed wife had to join back the work force as before tis she is working on split shift where sometime i dun even get to see her as i myself on a fixed rotating shift.now she work on office hour wher i still on my shift job.tat too i dun get to see her for few days if i am on nite shift.this are the sacrifices we took to survive in tis ever high standard of living in singapore.my wife got a pay cut for not running on shift and doing something out of previous job.we decided that i have to remain working on shift coz my shift allowance can hit above $500 per month.that is a lot to us that we felt we cant lose off.i haf to service my car which i bought a year back when all are cheap.now a plate of mee goreng which used to cost $3 has risen to $4.5 just in a year!selling the car is an option but i am stuck with it coz i'll need to fork up quite a sum to settle the outstanding loan.i must say there is a regret for buying the car.now,everywhere is erp gantries.



then there is the housing tings we haf to look on.the price of HDB flat now is way damn high eventhough we r 1st timer buying direct fr HDB.we calculated we may need to fork out some cash to service the loan after deducting fr cpf.so we decided not to get a flat now coz we will be finacially burden.in so we stay wif our in laws although kinda less privacy.



then ther are bills we haf to pay.basically utilities n handphone.even the electricity tariffs is rising!there are also insurance policy we nid to service which we already had for 7 years.even the premium was raised recently by the insurance company citing costs and such.so what can i do??terminate it and i'm at losing end?same goes for the car.these are the things my wife and i are willing to trade to have a baby but before that we have to be made poor with all the outstanding loans/bills.we dont blame any1 but it is the reality the people in the govt have to know.with what we been carrying on our shoulder,adding another load will b a burden unless ther r helps.raising a child is no mean feet.with the inflation,raising a child will be costly.no matter what my wife and i will try to have a baby.from there,it will b another war again.

Answer 43

From my point of view, Parental Match matching Sessions is not applicable as youngsters & singles nowadays will not be able to accept matchmaking by parents! Moreover, parents may not share the same judgement view of partner with their children. Financial stability before marriage is one of the worry.

Answer 44

I appreciate the good intent but please don't treat us like children. When we don't know much about sex, sex education is introduced in schools. When we don't know how to appreciate love and relationships, there's going to be a course on such a thing in schools soon. When we don't know how to attract the opposite sex and refuse to join match-making agencies, now our parents have to join such match-making sessions for us. I would have thought that we have advanced in our society culture... but apparently, not. I'm married but am choosing not to have children simply bcos, our current lifestyle does not allow us to have any. My spouse has a medical condition and we don't know what will happen next. If anything really happens to my spouse, I don't think I can carry on as a widow with young children. People have children for different reasons, same for people who choose not to have children. Can't we just be left alone?

Answer 45

Just an opinion. No. I think it's the culture of work in the private sector that you must work late or lose your competitiveness against single workers that makes people feel like they will either have no time, or that it doesn't go well with chasing a career. And prevents singles from converting to married relationships. An efficient worker can finish his work by 5 or 6pm, but stays because it is the culture to do so. This is not a staff culture by the way, it's an employer instilled culture. The theory of working smart, is the theory of showing your boss how late you work, and of course bosses like that because they feel they are getting they're monies worth, and more from late staying staff.



By ending work late, we have less time to go on dates, and couples (with the potential to get married and have kids) argue over not being able to spend enough time with each other. Often just once a week. Through the natural process of love, and time to spend on oneself (personal space) during the evenings of week days and all of the weekends, people can be more satisfied in relationships and their off work goals.



You can match make, but they won't married right away, they have to date. And then they find oh, my boyfriend doesn't spend enough time with me, I only see him once a week. And the boy says I only have two days out of the weekend, I must spend at least one day on myself, and my "personal space", i.e. hobbies like soccer, maybe video games, go out with friends from school days, etc.

Answer 46

Disagree. The standards of living and costs in Singapore are higher than the other countries which is stressful. Singaporeans are trying to save every cents before they could jump in the world of "Marriage".But before they could save enough to get married,they slowly loses the interest in "Marriage".Therefore the decrease in birth rate.

Answer 47

i think the govt should focus more on cost of living rather than our country low fertility rate.We are surely more concerned about having less money to spend rather than be bothered about the country having less babies



Many yrs ago the govt came up with baby bonus, hoping for more babies. Many yrs till now the rate is still as low. i dare to bet my last dollar that whatever new incentives the govt come up with will be doomed!..Many yrs later from now we will still be discussing this stupid old topic..



I think the govt should just leave this topic for dead n focus on issues that are more practical n realistic.

Answer 48

This will not work for sure. Either the government still do not understand the actual problem or refuse to commit. What can you do with 6 days child care leave? Every year, I could not clear my 21 days of annual leave. Raising cost of living is a factor but not a major one.



The main issue is child care. Who will take care of my kid? My wife has to work. I have to work. In-laws too old or refuse to do it. They themselves want to relax and enjoy their retirement.

My wife and myself go to work around 7am and get home after 7.30pm.

Put the kid with nanny or child care, everyone at home will have to wake up at 6am and have to rush home before 7pm to pick them up.



At my work place, half of my married colleague do not have kids. Of those have kids, half of them stop at one. Reason - as I mention above.



Just like everyone said, the government does not feel what is happening on the ground.

Answer 49

i don't think 'YAHOO MINISTER' answer the question correctly. this is sour-graping, for foreign workers who are more talented than he is. i am singaporean as well, by the way. going back to the question, i don't think Parental Matchmaking is not the solution to the dying population of Singapore, maybe the answer will be the changing of the mindset of the 'would-be' parents. they should start thinking the advantage of starting a family, by having children. government should give more incentives to childrens educational needs.

Answer 50

The joke of the year if the Government steps in to matchmake singles and get them to procreate. I am married but my wife & me have no plans to procreate in Singapore. As long as I'm paying my taxes and busy selfishly enjoying ourselves, they can bring in their expat home team for all I care. I spent so many years to accumulate my retirement nest. I cant imagine how I can achieve it if I had children then.

Answer 51

Parental Matchmaking Sessions..... in short, PMS!!!

How appropriate!!!!

Helllloooo...... my Dear Government....

The eligible adults of Singapore are;



(a) NOT married yet, and

(b) Those married, and not having more children

are because of :---



(i) HIGH COST of getting married,

(ii) Career 1st. mentality (THANX to PAP Government everytime telling us that we must 1st in this and 1st in that and must always upgrade our skills, career, knowledge, etc, etc..... must work hard, must globalise, must go abroad, must this, must that..... Well, THANK YOU Government, you brought it upon yourselves!!!)

(iii) Stressful Society brought about by a Pay And Pay (PAP) mindset of our Government.

(iv) HIGH COST of bearing children, from getting pregnant to infant care, day care, child care, nursery, kindergarten....

(v) No time to have children, also because of (ii).

(vi) HDB prices getting HIGHER n HIGHER and DEFINITELY INCREASING exponentially higher than the inflation rate.

Just look at the HDB valuations of resale flats.....

$600,000+++ also got!!!!

(This makes me wonder what is Minister of Housing agenda??!!!????)



Meeting boys or girls is NOT a BIG problem in Singapore.... unless you're really terribly fugly or a hermit.



Looks like Singapore Government is losing touch with the common Singaporeans' concerns & feelings.

They just talk to people (grassroots "leaders") who only tell them things that they want to hear.



PMS sux

Pay And Pay SUX even more.

Answer 52

I supposed that initiative enables the parents to have a visibility of the calibre of the future partner.Having said so,the child would be more confident to be assured with if the couple can be granted the acceptance of the parents.During the meet-up,if the assessment of the parents is unsatisfactorily.They can intervene at the right time before there is a wed-lock.

Answer 53

Young people may cringe at the thought of Matchmaking. But from what I've seen, it works. While it's nice to marry the one you love, it's even more important to "love the one you marry". And that is the key to a happy and successful marriage.

Answer 54

I am not sure why majority of the posts here go on griping about the bad attitudes and upbringing of local women when the question here asks for our feedback on PM Lee's suggestion for a modern day matchmaker.



Before I join in the gripe, lemme first answer the question asked. A big, fat, absolute NO; it is not going to work. Alot of times parents adopt a conflict of interest and select partners that they feel suitable to be their daughter/ son-in-laws material than what their children want. Alot of young Singaporeans are rather cosmopolitan and they see more than just having a homely wife for their spouse. Many would much prefer a partner whom they can click, share the same sentiments on many issues, smart, able to hold a conversation, independance, amongst other traits.



And lastly, I am a Singaporean woman and I wholeheartedly feels for Singaporean men on their views on local men. Yes, the local girls these days are just greedy bitches who judge you by how big your pocket is or how high your job position is. I, too have gold digging female friends like that and thats why I don't hang out with them. To date, I have no local female friends who are of humble nature, who don't go on about "Oh... look at the 24k carat diamond ring my bf got me!!", "My honey is coming to fetch me in his jaguar!" in my face. And then, in that same pool of unsavoury female friends, there is a set of 30-somethings old unmarried but picky and desperate girl friends still on the look out for a golden tortoise. I wish them the best of luck until their first sign of fine lines and wrinkles sets in.



Marriage is actually not expensive if you skip the 5-star hotel dinner. There is no law to say that you have to have it to be married. It all about the stupid lamest chinese' comparison and face mentality to put undue bank loans and stress on young going-to-be-married couples. In fact, I suspect that it is partly due to this financial burden and strain on young married couples that is also the cause of marital problems.

The best and grandest wedding is not guarantee a good longterm marriage.



Also, to sum up the words of PM Lee which he mentioned in the Straits Times previously, young couples please don't be greedy and aim for a 4 or 5-room flat. Alot of us aren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths and we have difficulty financing its loan. Be less ambitious and go for a smaller flat first and then upgrade to a bigger one later down in life when you are more successful in your career. Technically it makes sense too becos alot of busy working couples do not have much time to do the housework so a smaller flat saves the time in maintenance. And if you aren't planning to have any children or no more than one, then why need a bigger flat right?



Do not put undue financial stress on yourself (yes, don't get a bloody car. Sg is small and there is no reason for anyone to get one) by living beyond your limited resources and you will find that living in Sg is actually not a bad thing after all. In fact, you might be able to have at least a child or two if you learn not to expect the best and most expensive.

Answer 55

i am in my late 30's now. frankly speaking, i do have some fear in getting married. being not highly educated and earning only a moderate income, i can hardly survive. with the present standard of living in singapore, getting married is already my last thought, not talking about having baby or babies. i do not want them to suffer like me. bringing up a baby is not a 3 days job. diapers, milk powder, etc etc. doyourr maths and you know, it cost alot of money....

Answer 56

i don't think so. it doesn't seem like to know the main problem. low fertility is because it is too expensive to raise a child these days. everything is just too expensive, wedding also cost a bomb, then dont forgot you still got to pay and pay wherever you go. not enough money you tell me how to...

Answer 57

1st and foremost, i personally think that singapore girls or women, have to stop putting their hopes high or nose in the air. Why are ladies from other countries can get married much more easier than singapore? Reason due to, "Singapore girls are too difficult to handle and too snobbish. Thinking that they are the only one in this earth. WAKE UP SINGAPORE LADIES OR GIRLS!!!

Answer 58

good idea. Also reducing unnecessary expenses like TV mobile and CCTV and LCD digital light will cut the cost of bus companies and our cost of living of transport will be reduced.

Answer 59

What's marriage without love? Love is so much more than just giving birth. Women are human, not mother hens...

Answer 60

Singapore girls are not adventurous, thats why no reproduction!

You ask them "Do you want to do it?" They never say "Yes i will"

Our girls can learn from Thai and Manila girls who are not afraid to give out phone numbers and home address. Some even SMS to you

"Why don't you call me ?"

Answer 61

No, I do not think matchmaking is the answer to the problem of delayed marriages and low birth rates. One of the main reasons why many of us delay getting hitched and having children is because the living standard in Singapore has surpassed what our incomes can provide for us. If we are unable to live a proper lifestyle due to the increasing cost of living, I do not see the necessity of bringing a new life into this world whom I cannot afford without compromising my lifestyle.



Moreover, many Singaporean women these days are better educated and more successful in their careers, therefore, we are more independent. Women like us enjoy our rewards for being successful in our careers, especially financially. Some of us find it very difficult to compromise the financial and material privileges we enjoy for the sake of being with someone who is unable to provide us with the same kind of privileges. Certainly with children, we will have to forsake more, which some of us, including myself are not willing to sacrifice.



Along with the increase of successful women in Singapore, Singaporean men, living in the Stone-Age as they are still, find it a challenge to accept successful women because it makes them feel inferior as men. This explains why many Singaporean men chose to marry women from 3rd world countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc, as surveyed. Certainly, these women are a lot less expensive to maintain, as compared to Singapore women



Moreover, because many of us have to make enough just to keep up with the high cost of living, we tend to put in more hours in our work, taking up 2 jobs perhaps, just to substantiate the difference. Hence, our social lives suffer as a result, and we simply do not have the time nor opportunity to expand our social circle and meet other people.



Matchmaking certainly does not guarantee positive feelings towards each other. And many of us have rather negative reactions towards matchmaking. Many of us perceive people whom we are being matchmaked to as beneath the mark. If we were to oblige, it will be mainly because we want to please our parents, not because we genuinely think that the other person will make a good life-long partner for us. This sort of relationship will be very unhealthy for both parties, and certainly at least one of us, if not both, will end up very unhappy and unfulfilled.



What the Singapore government should do, is to encourage employers here to focus on providing a better work/life balance for their employees. Working environment here is generally family-unfriendly, and employers here tend to overwork their staff. For the sake of business, employers drive their workers like slaves, with no consideration for their personal and social lives which they all need. Singaporeans generally just bite the bullet and take it even when we are unsatisfied in our jobs, because we are all afraid of losing our rice bowls. If employers here can provide a better work/life balance without compromising our incomes, then expanding our social circles and opportunities to meet more people will be better. Meeting potential partners ourselves eliminates the negative mindset of the other person being less than perfect. Then perhaps, more of us will consider getting married earlier and having children.

Answer 62

I believe in fate and believe that when two hearts are meant for each other, the two will match.



Parents, enjoy life and stop worrying for us.

Answer 63

i was stunned how our PM can make this kind of proposal, how simple minded it is to imagine that increasing marriage chances equates to higher fertility rate! foremost, proposing matchmaking is an insult to the state of our progress in terms of social development, and even though there is a correlation between marriage and fertility, the problem we are trying to solve here is increasing the birth rate and not increasing marriage rates...( in that case we should then also look at lowering divorce rates too right?!)



i am a singaporean woman married to a french and we have 2 kids, and like all the couples of mixed nationalities, our children have dual citizenships at birth but singapore insists that our children have to give up one nationality at the age of 21. by giving up the singapore citizenship, our children will be barred forever from obtaining an employment pass to work and live here. being logical, we do not intend to let the children give up their french nationalities as their father is french, and france, like several countries in the world, permit dual citizenship. why must the government take such a hard stand against dual nationality for children of mixed couples? it is a pity but singapore has and will lose several babies and useful citizens each year because of this type of senseless policy.



the other huge aspect concerning fertility rate is the influence of job security and economic stability which is not addressed year after year. i became a full time mom and sacrificed my private banking career and my degree because my local bank MNC HR then refused to grant me a 1 year no pay leave to stay home and raise my children since my in-laws are living in france and i do not believe in dumping my kids with domestic maids. in the end, we chose to raise our children during their formative years believing that it is more important to give children the foundation they need than enjoying dual income.



many potential moms give up on the idea of having babies or more babies because they know the heartache of not being able to afford to stay home longer to be with the children during their formative years. this boils down to not having a good work n home life balance.



most moms do not have their own legal firms n companies of their own to dictate how much time they can spend with their offsprings, realistically, how many working moms can go home to have lunch with their children? how can the regular working mom tell the boss that OT is not acceptable they have to be home for the children in the evenings? i find it very ironic that the PM himself has identified the correct needs of the children and working moms of singapore, but he has not come up with the right solution to advocate policies concerning a work and home life balance... so much for brilliance...sigh.



i know that there are no quick fixes and easy solution to this problem, but i would have been pleased to see some of these implemented:



1. job security for pregnant moms;

2. a government agency set up to create professional permanent part time and flexi hour jobs for moms;

3. employers to give no pay leave to new moms n to help the employers, give subsidies to employers to hire temp replacements; and this should create a demand for professional part time work for stay home moms who are qualified;

4. childcare facilities at workplaces;

5.free healthcare for children up to 6 years of age; a yearly sum given either for public or private healthcare;

6. all carparks to have special lots for families with strollers, handicapped people not the only ones who need assistance at car parks, you know.

7. stay home moms to also be recognised in the annual budget for contributing to the population, instead of rewarding the working moms only... wouldn't this also encourage this pool of women to give birth?

8. ways to make hiring women for companies here attractive enough as companies are now thinking of the rising costs of women employees in their reproductive years... this again defeats what we want to achieve, which is as a country how can we increase the birth rate!



lots more ideas but i shall not go on... but in other words, this matchmaking talk is really a laughing matter... let's see more intelligent and workable solutions than this!

Answer 64

This will not work. We are not China. This issue, PM still didn't do much. He still don't understand, I wonder where he got all the story from???

Answer 65

Even if they are married many of them dont want to have any baby.

Answer 66

I don't think this idea work.

Answer 67

i dunno, but maybe itd be better to find somewhere closer to your age cos like itd be weird to go out with someone the same age as his daughter....