Enhanced childcare leave among PAP Women’s Wing’s proposals

Employers also bear costs when they provide child-related leave for their employees.

The Government can do more to support employers in this area, she added, so that they can better support their employees.

Many working parents have also voiced concerns over how they are perceived by colleagues and bosses when they have to take time off to attend to family matters, said Gan.

The hope is that over time, Singapore will have more family-friendly workplaces, so that working parents can feel more at peace and confident in balancing their work and family commitments.

The PAP Women’s Wing will also push for the Government to reduce the cost of fertility screening and treatment, said Gan. This comes as Singaporeans are increasingly getting married later in life, and more couples require medical help to conceive.

The July 26 listening session, titled Making it Work, drew about 120 attendees, including families, who shared their views and took part in fringe activities such as balloon sculpting and face painting.

The recommendations by the PAP Women’s Wing – informed by the public engagement sessions that will run until November – will be submitted to the Government’s inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup by the start of 2027.

The workgroup, chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, was announced during the Budget debate in February after Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.87 in 2025.

Entrepreneur Zan Johan, one of the participants of the July 26 session, said she hopes to see a stronger push for flexible work arrangements, such as a four-day work week.

The mother of two boys, aged eight and 10, previously left her job as an auditor to join the civil service after having children, as she wanted to cut down on work trips and have more control over her time.

“In Singapore, the working hours tend to be very long compared with countries like those in Europe. We are drained when we come home, and the kids will probably be sleeping, which makes it very hard to catch up with them,” said the 39-year-old, who now runs her own tech firm that builds digital systems and work applications for clients.

“Now that I have my own firm and practise remote working, I get to spend time with my children at home.”

Although the Government has rolled out policies to support families, father of five Lionel Chua hopes that Singapore can cultivate a culture that better supports them.

“Maybe a little more tolerance for parents who are bringing up young children would be helpful, because when people see a huge bunch of children outside, and your children start to scream or shout, people may not understand that,” said Chua, who works in risk management.

“There is only so much that policies can do, and it is more about having a tolerant society.”