Singapore is at a turning point. To sustain our society, we need to go beyond additional resources to a fundamental reframing: caregiving is not just a burden but an act of love.

The move from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood has led to the rise in anxiety across the world. Social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt made this case in his 2024 book “The Anxious Generation”. Drawing from his findings, our research and policy lead Daniel Lim spoke at The Helping Hand “Ride and Run to Restore” on 18 April 2026, on the topic “Building an (Un)anxious Generation”. Here is an edited extract from the talk.

Singaporeans are marrying later and having children later. Demographically, this increases the risk of acute sandwiched family struggles, especially with two or more generations of delayed marriage and parenthood. While it is important to support families in such situations, it is also important to encourage earlier marriage and parenthood planning. A version of this article was presented at our Commune on 16 May.

The 1971 speech by Parliamentary Secretary Inche Sha’ari Bin Tadin captured the heart and motivation of Singapore’s population control campaign. To pursue achievement and a high standard of living, “adaptations” had to be made to family life and childbearing, education and our value systems. To improve our fertility rates, we should perhaps do the opposite what he was calling for at the time.

Singapore’s total fertility rate hit a new record low at 0.87 in 2025, a long consequence of the overwhelming success of the “Stop at Two” population control campaign launched in 1972. Just a year prior, Parliamentary Secretary Inche Sha’ari Bin Tadin gave a speech capturing the heart and motivation of the campaign. Could this speech also contain hints of how we can reverse our low birth rates?

The number of stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs) has more than halved over the last seven years. The gains in our economy and to women’s empowerment are clear, but will we miss out on anything? We’re looking out for new gaps in mother-child bonding, declining fertility rate, and loss of social capital that SAHMs help sustain. How do we mind these gaps?