children of single unwed parents lag in govt co-matching benefits

Children of unwed parents started qualifying for the scheme only from September 2016.

Previously, it was available only to children with married parents.

Between 2020 and 2024, an average of about 745 babies a year were born here to Singaporean mothers who were not married to the baby’s father at the time of birth. 

Jennifer Heng, director of Safe Place, a charity helping pregnant women in distress, said single parents often find it hard to set aside money for savings given their financial pressures.

The burden of paying for housing, food, transport and childcare falls entirely upon their shoulders, unlike dual-income married couples, said Heng.

“Between saving and feeding their child the next meal, of course they will take out the money to use it for the next meal,” she said. “It’s not that they don’t think saving is important. I think many of them feel that they just can’t afford to save right now.”

Nominated MP Terence Ho noted that children of single unwed parents may ultimately end up with less funding in their CDA that could have gone towards early education and development.

However, the adjunct associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said that the disparity must be viewed alongside “the significant support given to all Singaporeans, regardless of parents’ marital status”.

More benefits for kids of unwed parents

In Lam’s parliamentary query on Sept 10, he asked whether MSF had assessed if the co-matching framework created greater challenges for single-income families and what additional support was under consideration.

MSF said the Government introduced the First Step Grant in 2016 as it recognised the difficulties faced by lower-income families. It deposits a sum upfront in all CDAs without requiring parents to contribute an initial amount.

In addition, new cash benefits under the SG Child Support Package announced at the National Day Rally will be extended to children of unmarried parents. This includes a $10,000 cash gift and $2,000 in Child Credits given in cash annually over 16 years.

This marked a significant shift as children born out of wedlock were previously excluded from some baby-related cash benefits, like the Baby Bonus Scheme.

MSF said with the new package, a larger proportion of support will be given via direct cash grants instead of co-matching. It added that lower-income families, regardless of marital status, are further supported through higher means-tested subsidies for services such as education and healthcare.

To further close the gap, Ho suggested other forms of support such as higher CDA co-matching rates for lower-income families. Heng called for more financial literacy for single unwed parents so they can learn how to best manage their limited money.

The fundamental concern is that children are not disadvantaged because of their family backgrounds, said Heng.

“The focus needs to turn to the children, to ensure that our children have equal opportunities (and) access to what is essential for their development.”

Correction note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect MSF’s parliamentary reply.