Singapore’s government will pay people to have children during the pandemic
- Singapore's government is offering money to any citizen willing to have children during the pandemic.
- CNN reported Singapore's deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat said the pay is meant to encourage people who were reconsidered having children because of the pandemic.
- The payment's exact amount has not been announced but is meant to help parents for expenses related to the baby.
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Singapore's government is offering to pay citizens to have children during the pandemic.
Singapore's deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat told officials on Monday that the pandemic had convinced people considering children prior to COVID-19 to rethink their plans, as many are sure about their financial stability.
"We have received feedback that COVID-19 has caused some aspiring parents to postpone their parenthood plans," Swee Keat said, according to CNN.
The money, Swee Keat said, it meant to assist people with any baby-related costs. He did not say how much they would be offering.
This would be on top of the $7,330 bonus couples are already eligible for if they have a baby in Singapore — a measure designed to curb the nation's falling birth rate.
While the small country has been lauded for its relative control of the coronavirus, with just 27 deaths from COVID-19, it is currently in dire straights. It is suffering a devastating recession due to the pandemic.
Prior to the pandemic, Singapore was on the verge of a demographic time bomb, meaning the country's population of senior citizens was disproportionately large compared to younger generations. Demographic time bombs can cause a shrinking GDP and harm the nation's economy.
People deciding not to have children because of the pandemic could only make matters worse.
The United States is facing similar challenges related to people deciding to not have children because of COVID-19, with a recent report finding many Americans are rethinking when they will have children, especially people of color, queer people, and low-income people.
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