Fertility and the state : the importance of population policies versus family and changing attitudes.

• Main Author: Ong, Joyce Jia Yi.
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51691
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this paper, I explore the influence of state policies on individual reproductive decisions in Singapore, a state that has yet to be successful in achieving their desired fertility rate since it embarked on the use of this type of policies since the 1980s (Sun 2009). I investigate this in comparison to two other factors – the individual’s family and general changing attitudes. I draw on in -depth data from semi -structured interviews with men and women of childbearing age. My findings suggest that the influence of family on individual reproductive decisions is the most signif icant in that one’s family background has a significant relation with one’s ideal number of children and the perceived amount of family support is crucial to the decision of having children. Ultimately, the state should not only improve the long -run impact of their policies, but also strengthen the awareness of and confidence in them so that its people feel supported in forming a family.