Case studies

Successful Policies

Anti-Natalist policy:

• SG baby boom 1950s, unemployment was widespread, housing shortage, insufficient educational and healthcare services; limited resources overall

• Singapore Family Planning and Population board SFPPB 1966 established -> National Family Planning Programme 

  • Public education programmes (television programmes, radio, newspapers, pamphlets) to tell others that small families were good

  • Subsidised family planning services through Maternal and Child Health MCH clinics. 

  • 'Girl or Boy - Two is Enough'

  • 1970, abortion and sterilisation legalised 

  • women who alr gave birth advised to go to MCH clinics/family doctors for family planning services

  • Advice and consultation on contraception and purchase contraceptives at reduced prices

  • Incentives: tax relief, priority housing, paid maternity leave

  • Disincentives: when >2 chn, zero maternity leave and allowance

  • Small Families Improvement Scheme SFIS by Ministry of Community Development

    • financial incentives to low income couples having small families

    • when accepted into programme, couples needed to practise reliable family planning method; clinical staff help monitor them to ensure effectiveness

• Successful:

  • SG well-educated, highly urbanised society, more women pursuing higher education

  • trend for later marriage, longer gap btn chn more accepted: change in social norms

• 1975 2.1 BPW, 1986 1.4BPW

Problems:

• ageing population

• economy not as competitive, economic expansion difficult

• fewer people enlisted in army, decreased national security

One-Child Policy:

• 1979

• government raised mimimum age for marriage to 20 years for women, 22 years for men at the same time period

• Incentives:

  • 'One Child Certificate' either by sterilisation of 1 partner or pledging to only have 1 child

  • one month's salary bonus per year until 1st child turns 14

  • paid holiday for accepting sterilisation

  • larger apartment

  • free medical and hospital expenses for child

  • free education

  • assistance for finding employment for child

• Disincentives:

  • return of all bonuses paid on birth of 2nd child

  • 10% deduction from monthly salaries for birth of 3rd child

• Successful because:

  • disincentives and incentives

  • limited space for city living

  • higher expenses of bringing up children in the cities

• Counter-argument:

  • rural areas are remote and large, difficult to monitor policy

  • lack of education, birth control ignored

  • social norms of having large families in agricultural communities: chn needed to look after parents, help on farm

• Problems:

• social side effects as many are 1 child

• imbalanced gender: desire for males, high rate of abortion and female infanticide (killing intentionally female infants)

• 1998 sex ratio was 94 F to 100 M, not enough prospective Chinese brides