Social Studies Elective
Chapter 2
Governance in Singapore (Population Policy)

Chapter 2.3: Case Study – Singapore’s Population Policy

Part 1: Reasons to Promote Population Growth from the 1980s.

Factor / Reason / Importance / Link
Declining Birth Rate /
  • By 1980, the fertility rate hit 1.82 children per woman due to the success of the government’s family planning measures.
  • At the same time, women became more educated and pursued their careers.
  • Couples preferred to pursue their careers instead, marrying later and choosing to either give birth to one child or not have any children.
  • As a result, fewer children were born and Singapore’s birth rate declined.
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  • At the same time, more jobs were created in the industries and a larger workforce was needed to sustain Singapore’s development.
  • Manpower was also needed for national defence.
  • With Singapore’s declining birth rate, Singapore’s development and defence needs would not be met, making it vulnerable to external challenges.
  • It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Unattractive to Multinational Companies /
  • With a small population, Singapore would not be able to produce enough talented people to sustain its economic development, making it unattractive to foreign investors and Multinational Corporations (MNCs).
  • With a smaller population, Singapore may not be able to produce enough skilled people to sustain the economy.
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  • It would be difficult and expensive for MNCs to recruit local Singaporeans as compared to other countries due to the lack of power, Singapore would not be able to sustain its economic development.
  • Furthermore, it’s small population size makes Singapore a small consumer market. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Ageing Population /
  • Furthermore, with fewer babies being born, there would be fewer young people and a larger proportion of older people in the population, causing Singapore to face an ageing population in the future.
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  • The smaller younger population would be burdened financially with more taxes and more resources would be spent on senior citizens, putting a strain on the country’s economic resources and reducing Singapore’s competitiveness.
  • It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Defence /
  • With a declining birth rate, there would be fewer young men to recruit for National Service.
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  • This would weaken Singapore’s defence force and make Singapore vulnerable to external threats. It was therefore important for the government to promote population growth from the 1980s onwards.

Part 2: Ways to Promote Population Growth after the 1980s

Factor / Reason / Analysis of Measure
The Graduate Mother’s Scheme /
  • The Graduate Mothers Scheme was introduced in 1984 to encourage marriage and having children among graduates as it was felt that the education level of the parents would have a direct impact on the performance of their children in schools.
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  • Was not successful as less educated people felt discriminated against the policy. Furthermore, the policy was scrapped after one year.

Three or More if you can afford it /
  • Couples were encouraged to have three children or more if they could afford it.
  • To help relieve the financial burden of having children, the government introduced measures such as allowing the use of Medisave to pay for the delivery charges of the first three children.
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  • Not very successful as the number of children born per woman continued to decrease.
  • Many newly married couples continued to have only one or two children and a sizeable number of Singaporeans either married late and had no children or chose to remain single.

Other pro-family measures /
  • Other pro-family measures such as equalised medical benefits were introduced where mothers could also claim medical benefits for their children.
  • A 5-day work week for the Civil Service was also implemented to allow for better work-life balance.
  • An income tax relief of $3,000 (Grandparent Caregiver Relief) was given if a grandparent is helping the couple take care of their child.
  • Maternity leave was also extended from eight weeks to twelve weeks.

Attracting foreign talent /
  • In order to enhance its competitiveness while awaiting for pro-family measures to show positive results, the government began to attract foreign talent.
  • In 1989, the immigration policy was relaxed to attract foreign talent with skills that Singapore needed.
  • The government also hoped that these foreigners would develop an attachment to Singapore and take up permanent residence or citizenship.
  • Foreign talent would not only boost the quality of manpower in Singapore, but it would also create more jobs and increase productivity.
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  • More successful as foreigners and their families add on to the population numbers of Singapore.

Part 3: Impact of an Ageing Population

Economic Impact

  • With an ageing population, there will be fewer young people in the population to maintain the workforce. Singapore’s workforce will thus become increasingly older and in time to come many will retire. This will result in a less competitive workforce which may not be attractive to investors keen to invest in Singapore. The economy will also be affected in terms of active economic contribution as the retirees are no longer contributing to income tax and CPF. There will be a resulting strain on the young to maintain the ageing population.

Social Impact

  • The number of older people will be proportionately larger. This means that the country will have to allocate more budget to social services to maintain the ageing population who will need more healthcare facilities. More resources like day care centres, old folks home, community hospitals and even housing facilities like studio apartments and lifts on every level have to be built to cater to the needs of the elderly. This will certainly increase the burden of the government who will need to reserve a large proportion of the country’s budget to maintain the ageing population.
  • Furthermore, with less young people, there will be smaller security forces and Singapore’s defence force will be weakened, making it vulnerable.

Part 4: Meeting the challenges of an Ageing Population

Factor / Description / Explanation / Analysis of Measure
Senior Citizens as Assets to Society /
  • To ensure that senior citizens remain contributing members to society, opportunities are given to them to add value to various organisations, and
  • help boost family life by contributing their valuable skills, knowledge, talent and work experience.
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  • Important because it creates a positive image of senior citizens so as to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a more positive attitude towards ageing and the elderly.

Many Helping Hands Approach: Individual /
  • The individual is encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
  • He should also go for regular medical checkups to ensure that any illnesses can be diagnosed early for treatment.
  • All Singaporeans are also encouraged to plan early and be financially prepared for life in their old age by attending talks and reading relevant materials to ensure they can be self-sufficient and independent in their old age.
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  • Important because when the individuals respond to the government’s campaign of living a healthy lifestyle, they can help to save the government a lot of money which would otherwise have to be spent on social services to take care of the ageing population.

Many Helping Hands Approach: Family support /
  • Family support also plays a part because strong and stable families bring about social stability and harmony. The family is also the main source of emotional, social and financial support for the elderly individual.
  • The government has introduced measures like ‘Senior Citizens’ Week’ where the elderly are encouraged to stay active in the family and community. It also promotes a positive attitude towards ageing and the aged as it reminds everyone of their roles in creating an environment that is socially conducive.
  • Grandparents’ Day is also celebrated to bring families together to show their appreciation for the elderly.
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  • Important because the family can provide individuals with emotional, social and financial support.

Many Helping Hands Approach: Community Help /
  • The community is also important in giving them social and emotional support and providing healthcare and social services.
  • The government provides subsidies to voluntary welfare organisations that run community-based services for senior citizens.
  • Some community organisations also offer free health checks and organise recreational activities for senior citizens to help them remain physically, mentally and socially active.
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  • Important because the community supplements the family support by offering individuals who have no families emotional and social support.

Many Helping Hands Approach: Government Support /
  • To encourage the young to take care of the aged, taxpayers can claim an income tax deduction for taking care of elderly parents and grandparents. First-time buyers of governments can get a housing grant if they buy a flat in the area where their parents live.
  • The government also ensures the individuals have some money for their old age by making each contribute to compulsory savings in their CPF accounts when they start working. This will reduce the burden of the government in its budget to care for the aged so that more can be spent on other areas like defence and education.
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  • The government contributes the necessary financial support needed to help individuals, families and the community meet the challenges of an ageing population.

Social Studies Chapter 2 – Governance in Singapore (Population Policy)
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