Table of contentsIntroductionDemographic and family policies in SingaporeThe post-independence years, 1965-1975Eugenic phase, 1983-1986Pro-natalist and family policiesCurrent and way forwardReferencesIntroductionSingapore is a south -is an Asian city-state with a population of approximately 5.7 million. In recent decades, Singapore's population demographics have declined, with birth and death rates declining rapidly, leading to a sharp increase in the average age of its population. Since the 1970s, Singapore's birth rate has been below the replacement rate by about two children per woman during her reproductive years. For a small nation that relies heavily on labor as a major resource, the low replacement birth rate is a great cause of concern for both the Singapore government and its population. Ultimately, declining fertility rates and increasing singlehood became a damaging norm. The fertility rate is the main topic of this article which analyzes the state's response to the difficult situation of the population and critically analyzes the capacity of these interventions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayPopulation and family policies in SingaporeThe post-independence years, 1965-1975Singapore has had a renowned record of sustained economic growth over the past five decades. From 1965 to 2000, Singapore's GDP per capita grew by an annual average of 5.8 percent, making it one of the countries with the highest economic growth rates in the world. There is no doubt that as Singapore grew into an economic powerhouse in Asia, its economic and social policies involved a high degree of government orchestration as they shaped the “daily” lives of Singaporeans. Moving from being a third world country to a first world country, Singapore's demographic trends have strictly followed suit. Singapore's post-independence period, between 1965 and 1975, saw the government move towards urban renewal, socio-economic planning and extensive industrialization. Unfortunately, at this time the country was plagued by large-scale unemployment, population growth, and a shortage of urban housing. To address the country's widespread unemployment, the government created economic opportunities through the expansion of manufacturing industries and the conversion of agricultural space to industrial parks. With more jobs created and a high demand for skilled labor, formal education and vocational training were accessible to all – regardless of race or gender and were seen as the only means of social advancement to join the active population. Women were trained and quickly became an indispensable part of the country's workforce. The participation rate of the female labor force increased steadily, from 28.2 percent in 1970 to 44.8 percent in 1984. Both men and women had no choice but to join the government's anti-welfare philosophy. Family policies implemented by the government have largely been focused on population control. The government understood that it was imperative to limit population growth in order to effectively use its human resources for the country's economic expansion. In this attempt, the Family Planning and Population Board (FPPB) was established in 1966, tasked with reducing Singapore's net birth and reproduction rate, and in the hopeto achieve the ultimate goal of zero population growth for Singapore. Through the FPFB, various family planning events were launched and promoted to garner public support for the policy. Among the most notable activities were advertising movements that carried slogans such as “Small families, a better future – Two is enough” and “The more you have, the less they get – Two is enough”. By convincing their people to have smaller families and fewer children, the government believes this could actually alleviate the problem of poor health and overcrowding. Additionally, financial incentives, such as free education and healthcare, were introduced for smaller families, while financial support was removed for those with larger families. It can be seen that Singapore's fertility rate during the years when population control policies were implemented declined steadily from 4.46 in 1966 to 2.35 in 1974, indicating that the Family policies implemented by the government have been successful and have yielded fruitful results. In Singapore's urban housing, many lived in unsanitary slums and crowded slums. The futurist government found it necessary to tackle the housing crisis because it saw that it could have a detrimental influence on the productivity of the population. Therefore, in 1960, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) was established and tasked with solving the housing problem. HDB aimed to provide “modern homes fully equipped with amenities for all who need them”. From 1964, the HDB began offering housing units for sale at below market price, based on a 99-year lease. Housing became affordable for lower-income households and loans were also made available to homeowners. Thanks to the attractive Homeownership for the People program, many Singaporeans have found themselves moving into HDB flats and enjoying the benefits of a hygienic and modern standard of living. Eugenics phase, 1983-1986 Social and cultural factors governing the nation-state in its period of development played a catalytic role for population control. The policies implemented were very effective but devastating for the evolution of the country's fertility. By 1975, the replacement fertility level was reached and by the early 1980s, the total fertility rate (TFR) had fallen below the replacement level. For a small nation, a continued decline in the TFR would ultimately result in a reduction in population. Declines in marriage rates and TFR were more common among women with higher education. As a result, it was inevitable that current population control policies would be revamped. An approach adapted to population growth was quickly introduced, with new policies aimed at encouraging those with better means of living to increase the size of their families. The underlying motivation was that those with higher education would be blessed with better genes, so the union of two graduates should produce “brighter” children. This period, commonly referred to as the "eugenic phase", was unpopular, particularly among its target group. - the graduate community. New pronatalist family policies were soon introduced to encourage women with higher education to marry and have more children. In 1984, the Social Development Unit (SDU) wascreated to provide matchmaking services to single graduates. On the other hand, less educated mothers received a cash grant of SGD10,000 if they were to undergo sterilization. In short, during this phase a two-pronged policy was in place: those who were considered capable and capable parents were encouraged to have more children and those who were not, were encouraged to stop at two. Unfortunately, the population did not accept the new policies very well, so the country's TFR continued to decline. Another notable factor explaining the decline in TFR was changes in family structure. The extended family arrangements that had been ubiquitous in the previous decade began to decline as families moved out of large communal living arrangements and into social housing. Therefore, the nuclearization of Singaporean families can be seen as a “natural” consequence of the country’s quest for economic growth and industrialization. Pro-natalist policies and the familyAfter the failure of the social eugenics program - the number of women with higher education preferring to remain single or have fewer or no children, new pro-natalist policies were introduced in 1987. The creation by the government's key slogan, "Have three or more children if you can afford it" was an attempt to avoid the discriminatory tone of the eugenics era, by establishing a new measure of "affordability" and replacing it with same time the previous emphasis on educational qualifications in the eugenics era. Yet the new policies continued to give benefits to more educated mothers, even though their primary goal was to incentivize married couples to have more children. The promotion of the new policy came with many benefits and policy changes, just like antinatalist policies, the government used extensive media coverage to campaign in hopes of persuading the public to appreciate the new benefits to have more children. The main targets of the campaign were married couples and unmarried singles. Popular slogans such as “Children – Life would be empty without them”; and “The most precious gift you can give your child is a sibling” were often accompanied by images depicting a happy family, appealing to the masses. On the contrary, unmarried singles were often bombarded with reminders not to put aside building a family while pursuing professional advancement. The government introduced income tax relief for children, childcare subsidies for working mothers and income tax relief on the foreign servant tax for mothers who work. In addition to various grants, the Baby Bonus Scheme – a two-tier payment involving cash and contributions to the Child Development Account was introduced by the government to ease the financial costs associated with education of a child. Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The Present Day and the Way Ahead Fertility has not responded like many were hoping for, and this may well echo the fact that baby bonuses and child tax breaks are not substantially enough to make much of a difference. change in the high monetary costs of raising children. Additionally, the culture of many workplaces in Singapore remains hostile to those who : 10.4324/9780203890066.. 12, 1996.