Over 100 PAP volunteers and activists met for an open and honest talk about the struggles of starting a family in Singapore (6 June). The listening session was organised by the People’s Action Party (PAP) Women’s Wing.
The event brought together regular activists, union leaders, and MPs to discuss topics like fertility treatments, workplace stress, and the pressures of being a new parent.
Members of Parliament Cassandra Lee, Yeo Wan Ling, Dr. Hamid Razak, and Dr. Choo Pei Ling helped facilitate the conversation. The main takeaway was clear: while changes to government policy and financial support help, we also need a change in every day culture to truly support young families.
“Policy creates permission to do certain things,” said Dr. Hamid Razak, MP for West Coast-Jurong West GRC. “But culture creates confidence.”
Dr. Hamid explained that young couples today worry about starting a family because they see too much friction and stress in raising children.
However, when a society has a supportive culture in the office, at home, and in the community, it gives young people the inner strength and conviction to take on the challenge.
Rules and policies may allow parents to take leave, but culture is what makes them feel safe and supported when they actually do it.
The dialogue also highlighted the heavy financial and mental toll of treatments like In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Party activists pointed out that while the government helps pay for public hospital treatments, couples get less financial help with each subsequent try.
An activist also shared that many Singaporeans face age limits at public hospitals but receive zero funding if they go to private clinics.
Dr. Hamid supported this feedback. He noted that medical data show most couples only get pregnant on their second, third, or fourth try, so the government should keep subsidies steady or even increase them for later rounds.
The conversation then shifted to the workplace, focusing on how companies handle flexible work requests.
Yeo Wan Ling, MP for Punggol GRC, explained that flexibility allows employees to stay employed while managing family duties. “In our surveys, we found that Flexi-time is the number one type of flexible work arrangements being asked,” said Ms Yeo Wan Ling, who is also Assistant Secretary-General at NTUC. “And actually, SMEs were already practicing this in a very informal, family way.”
Dr. Choo Pei Ling, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, brought up the intense emotional and physical struggles that happen right after a baby is born. Sharing her own difficult post-partum experiences , she reminded the audience that new parents face massive pressures.
“The mother sometimes, you are feeling okay, but your hormones are not trying to make you feel okay,” said Dr. Choo Pei Ling. “And the husband also feels the crunch.”
She noted that a shortage of psychologists in public hospitals means fathers and mothers often have to wait a very long time to get mental health support.
Dr Hamid agreed with that view.
“There is a shortage of psychologists if you look at the burden of people needing that support. The waiting time in the public hospitals can be quite long to see a psychologist. The government has acknowledged it and we are now trying to streamline the process of getting more psychologists in the pipeline,” he said.
Cassandra Lee, MP for West Coast–Jurong West GRC reminded activists that, similar to the previous listening session, all feedback, questions, and stories recorded in the listening session would be organised and sent to the government’s Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup.
In this way, the listening session will help directly to shape future laws and initiatives, ensuring Singapore remains a place where families can thrive.
