Definition: Measures taken by a government to influence the way its population is changing.  There are TWO types of population policies: Pro-natalist Policies & Anti-natalist Policies

Definition: A policy that tries to INCREASE birth rates and total fertility rates. You can not force people to have children, so you have to offer incentives e.g. free education. Countries may introduce a pro-natalist policy for TWO reasons: Either…  They have an ageing population (increased dependency ratio) OR…  They have a shortage of economically active (low birth rates and total fertility rates)

o You can not physically force people to have children, so pro-natalist policies normally work by offering several incentives. Incentives may include:  Money  Extended maternity and paternity leave and pay (maternity leave is time off work given to the mother after she has given birth, paternity leave is time off given to the partner after the mother has given birth - in most countries paternity leave is very short (maybe 2 weeks and often unpaid)  Free or subsidised childcare  Free or subsidised education and healthcare

 Singapore is a developed country (MEDC) in South-East Asia with a population of about 5 million people.  Since the 1980s the Singaporean government has believed that Singapore is under-populated and has tried to increase its population.  Singapore had one of the lowest total fertility rates in the world, standing at 1.1, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1.  Already 36% of the Singapore population is made up of foreign nationals and in some sectors like industry, 80% of the workers are foreign.

Statistics Singapore – PopulationStatistics Singapore – Population structure

 To overcome worker shortages, the Singapore government has encouraged immigration, but it is also trying to increase the population through raising birth rates. The government is doing this in a number of ways: 1. It has increased maternity leave and it will cover the cost of maternity leave for the first four babies. This incentive means that parents do not have to worry about the security of their work if they decide to have children. 2. The government is also increasing child benefits paid to families. For example, the government will pay money into a special bank account. By doing this, families do not need to worry about the costs of having children and can instead focus upon the benefits of family life. 3. The government has also sponsored dating organizations to encourage people to get married earlier and start having children.