Latest news with #MathewMathews
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Marriages down, divorces up – why?
What could be holding more Singaporean couples from getting married and why are our divorce rates rising? Lance Alexander learns from Dr Mathew Mathews, Principal Research Fellow, IPS.
The Star
3 days ago
- General
- The Star
Paternity leave take-up in Singapore rose to 56% in 2023; experts hope for further boost after extension
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Slightly more fathers are using their paternity leave to take care of their newborns. The take-up rate for government-paid paternity leave rose from 53 per cent in 2022, to 56 per cent in 2023, in latest figures published by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). Maternity leave usage remained high at 74 per cent, similar to past years, said the Family Trends Report 2025 published on July 7. The number of mothers who used their childcare leave dipped slightly from 61 per cent in 2022, to 58 per cent in 2023. For fathers, 53 per cent of them used their childcare leave in 2023, inching up from 52 per cent in 2022, and 49 per cent in 2021. The latest available data was for 2023 as employers have three months after a year ends to submit reimbursement claims to the Government. All data available excludes employers who do not submit claims. Paternity leave was enhanced in April, with fathers now entitled to four weeks of paternity leave, up from two. From April, parents have also been able to share up to six weeks of paid parental leave, which replaces the previous scheme that allowed fathers to share their wives' maternity leave quota. This shared leave scheme will be increased to 10 weeks in April 2026. MSF's report noted that more employers have offered flexibility to working parents. The number of full-time employees who had access to flexible work arrangements such as staggered hours and working from home increased from 84.1 per cent in 2022, to 87 per cent in 2023. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said at the National Family Festival Appreciation Event at One Farrer Hotel on July 7 that the Government hopes more employers can support parents in balancing caregiving responsibilities and career aspirations. Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Institute of Policy Studies' Social Lab, told The Straits Times that with more flexible work arrangement options available, the need to apply for childcare leave may be less pressing. 'Some childcare activities may not require a whole day away from work, thus requiring childcare leave – these care activities can simply require the parent to be at home, still engaged at work, but also able to watch out for a child while he/she is not able to be in a childcare facility,' he said. On the take-up rate of paternity leave remaining stable at over 50 per cent, Dr Mathews said that though more are taking paternity leave over the years, there has been no clear jump in usage. This suggests that the idea of paternity leave has still not gained sufficient traction among all groups of fathers, he added. 'The extended paternity leave to four weeks, a period which seems to be more significant, might increase the signature of paternity leave, making it more than a 'token' but a reasonably long, dedicated period to help fathers adjust and be involved in their parental duties,' he said. 'Hopefully, this will result in a substantial increase in utilisation over the next few years.' Singapore Management University sociologist Paulin Straughan said: 'Ideally, we would like to see more fathers embrace co-parenting responsibilities so that mothers do not feel overburdened. The extension from two to four weeks is significant as the leave allows fathers to contribute beyond taking care of logistic details or help out.' Four weeks would allow them to take over while their wives recover from childbirth and get into a good rhythm of caring for a newborn, and it allows sufficient time for fathers to bond with their newborns, Professor Straughan added. Pre-school and early intervention The Family Trends Report also looked at statistics and trends related to early childhood education and the growth of early intervention services. The number of full-day infant care places has nearly tripled over the past decade, from 5,628 in 2015 to 16,207 in 2024, and full-day childcare places have almost doubled, from 104,066 in 2014 to 200,847 in 2024. The cohort enrolment rate of children aged three to four was 90 per cent in 2024, the same as in 2023. And 93 per cent of children aged five to six were enrolled in pre-school, slightly down from 95 per cent in 2023. Support for young children with developmental needs has also increased, said MSF. A total of 10,186 children were served by early intervention programmes in 2024, up from 8,950 in 2023. Early intervention programmes support children with developmental delays or disabilities by addressing potential issues early on, preventing them from worsening and supporting the children's needs. In 2024, about 1,500 places were added to early intervention centres, increasing capacity by 26 per cent from 2023. - The Straits Times/ANN
