\n<\/p>\n
These days, Singaporeans are constantly hearing how they should consider marriage and have kids to boost our Total Fertility Rate (TFR)<\/p>\n
Which honestly makes sense, considering Singapore\u2019s TFR has now fallen to a historic low of 0.87.<\/p>\n
But long before Baby Bonuses, paternity leave, and government grants entered the picture, Singapore\u2019s national message was very different.<\/p>\n
Back in the \u201970s and early \u201980s, Singaporeans were essentially being told to calm down and stop having children.<\/p>\n
And thanks to a resurfaced government PSA currently going viral online, younger Singaporeans are now discovering just how aggressively Singapore once campaigned against early marriage and large families.<\/p>\n
The resurfaced video was originally produced by the former Singapore Family Planning and Population Board (SFPPB) during Singapore\u2019s \u201cStop at Two\u201d era.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeen a teenager is the time for learning and growing. You are young only once,\u201d declared the narrator, while opening with cheerful scenes of adults enjoying life.<\/p>\n
The mood shifts dramatically as viewers are shown a couple walking down the aisle before cutting to scenes of crying toddlers.<\/p>\n
\u201cRushing into marriage, into having your first child, and your second, means rushing into problems,\u201d ominously warned the narrator.<\/p>\n
Immediately after the crying children sequence, the ad cuts back to attractive, carefree young couples relaxing poolside and chatting peacefully.<\/p>\n
The music softens with the final line, \u201cSo, take your time to say \u2018yes\u2019. A happy family is worth waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did Singapore accidentally create an entire generation of people who now panic when they hear the words, \u201cWhen are you settling down?\u201d<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, netizens were fascinated by how direct the PSA felt.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThis aged well and did not age well in equal measure,\u201d read a comment.<\/p>\n
Another joked, writing, \u201cOther than the \u201cStop at two\u201d, this must have been another successful campaign in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, the Singapore government is spearheading a “Marriage and Parenthood Reset”, actively trying to make marriage and parenthood feel less financially terrifying.<\/p>\n
Current initiatives include the Baby Bonus, providing parents with up to S$38K in cash gifts, and Child Development Account (CDA) grants to help defray child-raising costs.<\/p>\n
The Large Families Scheme sees parents get up to S$54K for a 5th child (or beyond) when combined with the Baby Bonus.<\/p>\n
Parents also have up to 30 weeks of paid parental leave in a child\u2019s first year, and four weeks of government-paid paternity leave.<\/p>\n
Naturally, many Singaporeans online are now joking that the old campaigns may have permanently altered the national psyche.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we need to do reverse social engineering. Few want kids anymore,\u201d read a comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n