How can we truly support working parents?

The ongoing debate around Singapore’s declining birth rate has highlighted all sorts of arguments, not just around having children, but whether enough is being done for parents. In particular, working parents have highlighted issues such as rising costs, academic pressures and support system problems. Even benefits – for example, six days of paid childcare leave – don’t seem to be enough.

“All it takes is for a kid to get Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) to wipe out the leave for the year,” says Alice, a mother-of-two. “What happens if your other child gets sick?”

There’s also the issue of support in the workforce. Parents – or more accurately, women – are more likely to leave their jobs or consider part-time work to focus on their families.

“Raising a child is both the most frustrating and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” says Kate, a freelance marketer. “I’ve had to accept that if I want to be present and available for my young kids, my career has to take a back seat.”

Starting with legislation

Some countries have made great headway in promoting better work-life balance for their citizens. In places like France and Australia, “Right to Disconnect” laws allow employees to ignore work-related messages outside of working hours to protect personal time.

Other countries focus on childcare to help working parents. In Norway, up to 1.8 per cent of its GDP goes to early childhood services, while in Iceland, the most gender equal nation for the last 15 years, 90 per cent of fathers take paternity leave and remain involved in childcare after returning to work. This helps to reduce the mental load traditionally carried by women.

Family-friendly workplace policies

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom for working parents. Some companies have actively created policies so employers are able to care for their families.

Prudential Singapore has embraced flexible work time. While there is a recommended two-day minimum in the office for in-person tasks, chief human resource officer Neetha Nair emphasises that a culture of trust, communication and accountability ensures flexibility can be put into action.

“Employees can discuss with their managers arrangements to work from home due to family reasons, such as caring for their children when they are unwell,” she says, adding that this ensures that personal needs are supported while business priorities continue to be met.

At Diageo, an updated Family Leave policy that came into effect in 2020 provides benefits to employees caring for all family members.

“We wanted to underscore our commitment to nurturing a truly inclusive culture, where employees can thrive both at work and at home,” says Arena Zhang, human resources director, Diageo Southeast Asia. The company provides all new mothers with a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave, and new fathers with a minimum of four (regardless of nationality), while its Caring for Carers initiative provides employees with up to 10 days of paid leave per year to care for dependants with long-term needs.

For hospitality giant Hilton, benefits include practical support for different life stages, from starting a family to returning to work, as well as access to clinical mental health support for employees and their immediate families. It also offers access to a digital fertility and family planning platform that gives specialist consultations to both women and men, as well as return-to-work programmes for new mothers at its hotels.

Supporting parents and parents-to-be

It makes sense that looking after employees trying to start families should be included in compassionate policies for families.

“Supporting families means supporting how they begin,” says Simran Toor, vice-president of Fertility Support Singapore. “If we want to truly champion working parents, workplace policies must take a holistic view of the entire parenthood journey, including the often‑overlooked challenges of fertility and family‑building.”

The non-profit suggests how companies can be supportive – from offering paid or unpaid leave, health insurance coverage, flexible work arrangements, as well as mental health benefits and counselling – in its workplace guide launched last year. Employers who embrace inclusive practices are better positioned to retain top talent, boost morale, and cultivate a loyal, motivated workforce.

It’s also important to look specifically at the role that women play in the home, and the role they wish to play in the workforce. The “mental load” of childcare in Singapore still traditionally falls to mothers, and that has to change.

Associate professor Razwana Begum from the Singapore University of Social Sciences highlights this as a high stress point. “We need to reduce the mental and emotional load on parents, especially mothers. This goes beyond financial support. It includes reliable childcare, accessible services, and strong support systems,” she says.

The attitude towards the role of fathers also has to change, which speaks to a larger need for a societal shift. “Fathers have to play an equal role if families are to be sustainable, and if women are to feel able to have children without compromising their careers,” says Prof Razwana.

With an eye to balancing caregiving, the government has in recent years, increased paid parental leave and mandated four weeks of paternity leave. Only time (and next year’s total fertility rate) will tell how effective these improvements will be.