Singapores Pro Natalist Policy

Singapores pro-natalist movement started only in the early 70s, but before that,
Singapore had an anti-natalist policy due to falling death rates and continued
birth rates along with immigration from Malaysia (Malaya) from the mid forties
to the mid fifties. This resulted in an annual growth rate of 4.4 percent.
Birthrates fell from 1957 to 1970 but then rose again due to the postwar baby
boom. From 1969 to 1972, a set of population disincentives were instituted to
raise costs of bearing third and fourth children; these included civil servants not
receiving paid maternity leave for third children and so on. This continued till
the early 1980s when the fertility rate dropped to a historic low of 1.44.



Singapore then set up the Pro-Natalist policy. The policy involved The Social
Development Unit (SDU), extending matchmaking activities to schools holding A-
Levels and Universities. After which the government announced an S$20,000 tax
rebate for births after January 1
st
1988. The policy, aimed to motivate couples to
have 2 or more children.

Singapores Pro Natalist Policy
The government also implemented the Baby bonus scheme, which was
introduced in early 2001 and stated a payment of S$9,000 and S$18,000 for the
births of a second and third child respectively. By 2002, S$11 million had been
disbursed under the baby bonus scheme.


Bibliography:
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/pdf/commission/2007/
country/singapore.pdf
http://www.photius.com/countries/singapore/society/singapore_society_popul
ation_control_p~11008.html
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldageing19502050/pdf/1
80singa.pdf