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SINGAPORE: First-term People\u2019s Action Party (PAP) parliamentarian Jasmin Lau has come under fire for being \u201cout of touch\u201d with the challenges, aspirations and lived realities of ordinary Singaporeans, after she shared her theory about the cause of Singapore\u2019s falling birth rate.<\/p>\n
Ms Lau was a civil servant for close to two decades before she resigned just ahead of the 2025 general election. She coasted into Parliament as part of the team Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong led at his Ang Mo Kio Group stronghold.<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old, who is currently part of the Government\u2019s Marriage & Parenthood Reset Workgroup, had been discussing Singapore\u2019s low fertility rate of 0.87 per cent during a recent CNA<\/em> podcast appearance.<\/p>\n During the podcast, Ms Lau was asked what she believed was the \u201cbiggest thing\u201d stopping people from having children.<\/p>\n \u201cI have my own theory about this,\u201d she said, \u201cI think a lot of our people have tasted a good and rich life at a younger age, and the thinking is, I don\u2019t want to give that up.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that many young adults view parenthood as requiring sacrifices in lifestyle, including travel, housing choices and other comforts they worked hard to attain. She said:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026they look at the parents who talk about parenthood like, in such a stressful way, it feels like a loss. Like, for them to think about having children feels like a loss because they cut something out from their life. They have to cut travel or the size of the house they buy, the type of car that they would have. Like, it feels like they have to lose something in order to have a child.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026it\u2019s already so hard to enjoy what they have now. They have worked so hard to get to where they are. Finally, they can taste a little bit of the sweetness of life. And then to go into a phase of life where you have to give up some of that, I think that\u2019s what\u2019s stopping a lot of adults from thinking about the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n She added, \u201cNow, is there a solution for that? Very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting that countries around the world are struggling with declining fertility rates, she suggested that more people openly sharing positive experiences about parenting and family life could encourage others to reconsider having children.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think that if many more of us just talk about the fulfilment from parenting, the joys of it, it could shift the concepts about it a little bit, so you can tilt someone from 50-50 to all right, let\u2019s give it a shot. You could shift it a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she does not think the TFR can be \u201crescued to 2.0\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think, if more of us just shared about what family life could look like and how our own lives have been enriched by our children, and how our children have taught us so much more about life than we could otherwise teach ourselves. Then maybe you have some people who start to consider, why not?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Her remarks, however, quickly drew backlash online, with many Singaporeans arguing that financial pressures and structural issues, not lifestyle preferences, are the primary reasons couples are delaying or avoiding parenthood.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel so disconnected from her words,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n Another said, \u201cExcuse me, not everyone has a good and rich life.\u201d<\/p>\n Several commenters accused Ms Lau of speaking from a position of privilege and failing to understand the financial stress many Singaporeans face.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is talking about her circle,\u201d one person remarked.<\/p>\n Others pointed to bread-and-butter concerns such as housing prices, job insecurity and the rising cost of raising children.<\/p>\n \u201cHer theory is wrong, the stressful living environment that is not conducive to having kids,\u201d one commenter said before listing concerns including the \u201ccost of having a kid\u201d, \u201cno stable employment\u201d, and rising expenses related to housing, education and daily living.<\/p>\n Another added that \u201cBTO flats have become quite expensive and smaller\u201d, making it harder for couples to plan for larger families.<\/p>\n Some commenters said the Government appeared disconnected from public sentiment despite years of feedback on the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cI am surprised that the committee has all along been deaf to the feedback,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n Another argued that policymakers were unfairly placing responsibility on citizens instead of addressing systemic issues.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of fixing systemic problems, the responsibility is conveniently pushed back to citizens,\u201d the commenter said.<\/p>\n Parents also weighed in on anxieties surrounding the future their children may face.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, I feel anxious & nervous for my kids staring into a future of immense uncertainties,\u201d one commenter wrote, citing intense competition, economic pressures and concerns about whether children would be able to cope in adulthood.<\/p>\n Others criticised what they viewed as an overly simplistic understanding of why Singaporeans are not having children.<\/p>\n \u201cOMG. Does she really know what the people on the ground think?\u201d one netizen asked, \u201cIt\u2019s not that young people want to enjoy wealth in life. But there\u2019s no support for parents to raise a child in Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n The commenter then pointed to expensive healthcare, costly childcare, long working hours, small flats, insufficient leave arrangements and postpartum mental health challenges.<\/p>\n Several people compared Singapore unfavourably with countries they felt offered stronger support systems for parents. One commenter cited Australia\u2019s postnatal home-visit programmes for mothers and newborns, while another pointed to South Korea\u2019s extensive subsidies for families.<\/p>\n Others questioned whether highly paid political officeholders could truly relate to the struggles of ordinary Singaporeans. \u201cWhen ministers can have a million-dollar salary, how much do they understand about the problem of having kids?\u201d one commenter asked.<\/p>\n Another wrote: \u201cNothing like a millionaire politician hectoring us about the intangibles of having children when the cost of living is going up.\u201d<\/p>\n Some commenters also suggested the Government should directly consult young Singaporeans and parents instead of relying on internal theories.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not ask your young people to be in a forum and get the answers straight from their mouths?\u201d one netizen said.<\/p>\n Others pointed to the irony that some political officeholders themselves have small families or no children. Singapore\u2019s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong does not have any children. Nor does Indranee Rajah, the Minister who chairs the parenthood workgroup, who remains unmarried.<\/p>\n \u201cQuestions the workgroup should start asking all MPs in Parliament \u2014 why they are single, married, no kids or married one child,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n