Marriage, parenthood workgroup advances early proposals to not ‘lose time’ on falling birth rates: Indranee

For instance, a parent taking shared parental leave could have a very different experience depending on the response of their supervisor.

“If your line manager is empathetic, happy for you that you have a child, it makes it so much easier,” she said.

But even if the leave is approved, a manager who reacts as though it is an imposition sends “a very different signal”, she added.

“So, learning how to create better workplace norms and cultures, I think, is a very important part of this.”

“There’s a combination of the more tangible measures, but you also need the intangibles, the software, and how people approach things, and that is actually quite hard to do.”

HOLISTIC SUPPORT

Ms Indranee said the review was taking a holistic view of a family’s journey, rather than looking only at support around the birth of a child.

“When a baby is born, it doesn’t stop there, right? A child has to go through childcare, goes through primary school, goes through secondary school,” she said.

“In the review, we’ve taken a holistic view at the whole journey of a family, and we want to make sure that families are well supported at all stages.”

Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 last year. Fewer than 30,000 live births were recorded in 2025 for the first time in 60 years, an 11.4 per cent drop from 2024.

About 24,700 marriages were registered last year, down 6.2 per cent from 2024.

Ms Indranee said the latest figures had “sharpened” the focus on marriage and parenthood.

With fewer marriages in recent years likely to translate into fewer children, she said it was better to step up efforts.

“Those that we can do early, we do early. Those that take a bit longer, then we will take as much time as we need to do those properly.”

In her speech, Ms Indranee said that reversing the country’s downward fertility trajectory requires a “whole-of-nation effort” beyond government policies.

She highlighted that everyday actions – such as understanding employers fostering family-friendly workplaces, supervisors granting flexibility for family matters, neighbours offering support, commuters giving up seats to pregnant women, and community volunteers stepping in – make a “meaningful difference” to families.

“What we must do at a national level is to build a Singapore where families are supported and cherished. Everyone has a role to play in this,” she said.