Problems Faced in 1960s Rapid population – baby boom, Asian tradition Led to shortage Caused a strain on resources

Measures taken Family Planning and Population Board Stop at 2 Legalized abortion No paid maternity leave No priority given to large families in allocation of government flats No income tax relief for the fourth and subsequent children

Outcome Birth rate dropped Women became more educated – placed career first Married at a later age Lack of caregivers Number of unmarried people increased

Problems of Low Birth Rate Unattractive to MNCs Shortage of labour – so becomes expensive Strong competition from China which was a cheap labour market Declining population means smaller consumer market

Ageing Population More resources have to be channelled to take care of the senior citizens Strain our limited resources

Defence Not enough men for NS Threatens our defence

Policies to promote growth Graduate mothers scheme Graduates encouraged to have more kids Belief that they would give birth to kids who would perform better in school Much opposition Policy was scrapped

Three or More if You can Afford It If you could afford it To prevent social ills in case of recession like the 1985 recession

Success? People felt that it is expensive to bring up a child Many continued to have 1 or 2 kids only Dragon year – there was a slight increase A sizeable number continued to remain unmarried

Pro-family measures Equalised medical benefits Caregiver tax relief Extended maternity leave 5-Day work week

Attracting Foreign Talent Pool too small for professionals Have a ready source of manpower Skilled workers can increase productivity Immigration rules were relaxed Given attractive packages Entice them to take up PR or citizenship