Should single mums get the same perks?

[Jman888]

Surprise that 80% of the survey is against it, what is your view?

 

Should single mums get the same perks?

by Benson Ang

 

Sociologist, Aware: Yes

 

WHO: Dr Chua Beng Huat, sociologist, National University of Singapore

The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)

 

WHAT: Single unwed mothers should have the same privileges as married couples (and divorcees and widows).

 

Social stigma and policies unfriendly to single unwed mums contribute to the 12,000 abortions here a year. Those babies would have added to the country's population - alleviating some concerns about the country's fertility rate.

 

Prominent sociologist Chua Beng Huat made the argument recently that if more mothers were encouraged to keep their babies, Singapore would have added to its population.

 

He argued that Singapore has about 12,000 abortions a year, due in part to single mothers fearing the social stigma that comes with raising a child in such circumstances.

 

Elaborating on his views, he tells The New Paper on Sunday that Singapore should follow the example of France and some Scandinavian countries, where single mothers get more acceptance.

 

In those countries, a permissiveness in family structures has sustained high birth rates - at times higher among unmarried couples than married ones, he says.

 

"Giving benefits to single parents is not the same as encouraging single motherhood," he says.

 

If a single unwed mother works, she is entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave and two days of childcare leave a year until the child turns seven.

 

But unlike married, divorced or widowed mothers, these mothers do not get the Baby Bonus cash gift or Marriage and Parenthood tax benefits.

 

Aware has also consistently petitioned the Government to help single mothers as one way to boost the birth rate. In a press release, it said that the continued denial of maternity and parenting benefits for the families of unwed mothers was a "disappointing omission" from the Government's most recent enhancement of the Marriage and Parenthood package.

 

It felt that the policy to deny benefits to unwed mothers also contradicts the Government's direction to give every child an equal start in life.

 

Assistant Professor Teo You Yenn, an Aware board member and a sociology lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University, adds: "We would further add that discrimination is detrimental to building an inclusive society and a sense of community, where people feel a sense of mutual responsibility towards each others' well-being."

 

What perks they get

Married parents of Singaporean children generally get:

 Baby Bonus: $6,000 cash each for first and second child, and $8,000 each for third and fourth child.

 Parenthood Tax Rebate of $5,000 for their first child, $10,000 for the second child, and $20,000 for the third and each subsequent child.

 16 weeks of paid maternity leave

 1 week of paid paternity leave

 Six days of paid childcare leave a year if the child is below seven years old, or two days if the child is aged seven to 12.

 Subsidies for infant care and childcare

 Levy concession for foreign domestic worker

 Medisave grant for newborns

 MediShield coverage for congenital and neonatal conditions

 

Unwed mums of Singaporean babies generally get:

 No Baby Bonus

 No Parenthood Tax Rebate

 12 weeks of maternity leave, of which eight weeks are paid

 Two days of paid childcare leave if the child is below seven years old

 Subsidies for infant care and childcare

 Levy concession for foreign domestic worker

 Medisave grant for newborns

 MediShield coverage for congenital and neonatal conditions

 

Most of 4,646 people surveyed: No

 

WHO: 80 per cent of single respondents and 85 per cent of married respondents in a survey contacted by the National Population And Talent Division - part of the Prime Minister's Office

 

WHAT: The majority of the 4,646 respondents felt that only legally married couples should have children.

 

While Singaporeans are generally sympathetic to the plight of single mothers, most still feel that children should only be for those who are married.

 

Mr Lim Soon Hock, chairman of the National Family Council points to the survey and says: "This reflects that our society is not quite ready to accept children born outside wedlock.

 

"Although we want more babies to add to our population, the issue is whether, as a society, we want to encourage children born out of wedlock."

 

Housewife Susan Koh, 50, married with one daughter, 18, and son, 14, agrees.

 

"There are a lot of single unwed mothers nowadays, but it still doesn't mean that premarital sex is right.

 

"We should get married first before having children. I mean, we can't possibly be encouraging women to become single mothers, right?"

 

Dr Ho Kong Weng, assistant professor in the Division of Economics, Nanyang Technological University, said in an article he contributed to the Business Times in 2010: "The single parent, usually the mother, has to struggle between household production and her career outside her home, facing more tension in work-life balance, and her child could likely face emotional tension as well without complete care from both parents, financially and otherwise.

 

"Consequently, the children from disrupted families may not perform academically as well as those from intact families. In adulthood, these children are more likely to fall behind in terms of economic status, meaning diminished upward mobility."

 

Mr Lim also rubbishes claims that policies unfriendly to single unwed mums encourage women to have abortions.

 

Abortion rates and a society's acceptance of births outside of wedlock may only have a tenuous link, he says.

 

"Societies with high acceptance of single parents do not necessarily have significantly lower abortion rates.

 

"The decision to abort a pregnancy or otherwise is a very personal one, affected by many factors."

 

The Ministry of Social and Family Development also feels that the decision to abort a baby is deeply personal.

 

All single parents have access to social assistance, says its spokesman.

 

"If they face financial difficulties or require social assistance, they can approach any of the Community Development Councils or Family Service Centres for assistance."

 

Help Family Service Centre, for example, provides counselling and casework services for single parents and their children.

 

It also organises support groups and programmes, which aim to help the single-parent families to cope.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Jman888

[TVT]

Surprise that 80% of the survey is against it, what is your view?

 

Why not you tell us your views first, since you are the TS...

[Mustank]

should give lah

these "perks" are tag to newborn and not the parents

whether the parents are deserving or not is besides the point because these perks are for the benefit of the baby

these single mums should apply singles bto to bring up their kids

 

 

[Jman888]

Why not you tell us your views first, since you are the TS...

 

 

i am surprise mean i say yes mah

 

some who i know are not by choice, hence they do struggle. If a child is raise with both parents, husband and wife supporting the child, why a single mum is not given the same benefit?

 

i understand this may act as an encourage for women who just want to have child but not the other half which is not healthy in social context, i can't say this should be the way as we are still living in a conservative asian society.

[Mustank]

i am surprise mean i say yes mah

 

some who i know are not by choice, hence they do struggle. If a child is raise with both parents, husband and wife supporting the child, why a single mum is not given the same benefit?

 

i understand this may act as an encourage for women who just want to have child but not the other half which is not healthy in social context, i can't say this should be the way as we are still living in a conservative asian society.

 

maybe zheng hoo dont want to encourage polygamy

 

[TVT]

should give lah

these "perks" are tag to newborn and not the parents

whether the parents are deserving or not is besides the point because these perks are for the benefit of the baby

these single mums should apply singles bto to bring up their kids

Like that then no commitment from both men and women. Everyone can sleep around, and have a child, then no need get married! Why need to get married since single mum gets the same benefit wor?

 

We can also sleep around liao, if that is the case.

[Mustank]

Like that then no commitment from both men and women. Everyone can sleep around, and have a child, then no need get married! Why need to get married since single mum gets the same benefit wor?

 

We can also sleep around liao, if that is the case.

 

nobody get married or have kids to get these kind of "perks" one lah

i mean zheng hoo give out these perks but people still don want to palm sperm shoot raw

[Toothiewabbit]

Cannot lah, social costs would increase and traditional defination of a basic family unit challenged.

[LinOrLim]

i feel that single mums should the same benefits, why discriminate against them?

 

BTW, I am a guy and I feel single mums get a lot of social discrmination, thus lets not disriminate against them financially

Edited March 12, 2013 by LinOrLim

[Sp4wn]

i feel that single mums should the same benefits, why discriminate against them?

 

BTW, I am a guy and I feel single mums get a lot of social discrmination, thus lets not disriminate against them financially

 

i agree. somemore at least adding to the baby quota. some couples dont even want to have kids. should give single mums chance la ... why make things difficult for them.

[Cars08]

Cannot lah, social costs would increase and traditional defination of a basic family unit challenged.

so man n woman shld be responsible towards their act...not song liao and forget abt responsibility...this is part of the formula in social cost isnt it?

Edited March 12, 2013 by Cars08

[Tigershark1976]

As much as I dont agree with the single mother culture.... I think it unfair to take away their benefits. Afterall, they are Singaporean and the kid(s) is Singaporean as well.... why descriminate them??

 

These single mum, in fact, need more attention and help from both Gov & society. Just imagine, a normal couple could share the load frm the new born but single mum hv to rely entirely on herself... having lesser paid maternity leaves & childcare leave, how is she going to handle it??

[Jman888]

As much as I dont agree with the single mother culture.... I think it unfair to take away their benefits. Afterall, they are Singaporean and the kid(s) is Singaporean as well.... why descriminate them??

 

These single mum, in fact, need more attention and help from both Gov & society. Just imagine, a normal couple could share the load frm the new born but single mum hv to rely entirely on herself... having lesser paid maternity leaves & childcare leave, how is she going to handle it??

 

 

i am concern of the impact on social as well, but for single mum to support a kid is 2x tougher than a pair of parents.

[TVT]

If you give single mums the perks, it might send a wrong signal to all men/women out there. Then what is the incentive to get married, and be committed to your spouse? I can sleep around and still Father a child, and rest assured my child (n the woman I slept) with is taken care by zheng hoo...

 

It is also not good for a child to grow up in a single parent family.

[TVT]

i am concern of the impact on social as well, but for single mum to support a kid is 2x tougher than a pair of parents.

Such measures are there to remind the couples to think twice before having sex, without protection. It is a hard measure, sometime unfair, but its aim to discourage such uncommitted acts.

[Jman888]

If you give single mums the perks, it might send a wrong signal to all men/women out there. Then what is the incentive to get married, and be committed to your spouse? I can sleep around and still Father a child, and rest assured my child (n the woman I slept) with is taken care by zheng hoo...

 

It is also not good for a child to grow up in a single parent family.

 

 

agree it is not healthy to promote kid grow up in single parent family, however, the benefit is not like they get a lot of money for 18-21 years of the kid's life, if that is the case why husband and wife refuse to have kid despite these benefits?

 

in some cases, the benefit not strictly on baby bonus where women sleep around and ask govt to pick up the tab, it could be divorce women who need the other benefits to help raising the kid.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Jman888

[TVT]

agree it is not healthy to promote kid grow up in single parent family, however, the benefit is not like they get a lot of money for 18-21 years of the kid's life, if that is the case why husband and wife refuse to have kid despite these benefits?

If view long term, of course such perks means nothing. But having a kid is a long term commitment, if can't take it, then don't have it. Such measure also force couples to think long term in child planning.

 

 

[Jamesc]

We don't have enough babies so Sporean babies

 

from single or both parent family should get the perks.

 

I personally also think the man that made the lady pregnant

 

should also get some perks. If he didn't help there would be

 

no baby in the first place.

 

If more babies are the objective, why discriminate?

 

Edited March 12, 2013 by Jamesc