S'pore mother of 2: It's not that we don't want more kids. We just don't have time for the ones we already have.

In 2025, Singapore’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) hit a new low of 0.87.

Speaking during the 2026 Budget debates, ministers called it a “grave concern” and an “existential challenge”.

They pointed to the urgency of the matter. They announced a new workgroup, hinted at new policies, and pushed for new research.

Joanna*, 40, a working mother of two, shares her thoughts on what help she thinks parents might need.

By Joanna W. 

I keep hearing that people in Singapore don’t want to have more children.

But honestly, for many of us, that’s not true.

I am a working mum. By the time I reach home, it is usually around 7:30pm, sometimes later if there’s any delay at work.

From that moment on, everything feels like a race.

I rush to prepare food, shower the kids, feed them, clean them up, brush their teeth, and get them to bed on time.

If I am lucky, I can squeeze in a short story.

But most days, it just feels like going from one task to another.

There is barely any time to just sit with them, talk to them, or be present.

The part people don't see

The day doesn’t end there.

After the kids fall asleep, there is still housework waiting, cleaning up, laundry, and preparing for the next day.

Sometimes, I also have to continue working at night.

I leave work on time to pick up my children. But the work doesn’t disappear, it just follows me home.

So while it may look like I left on time, I am actually finishing my work when my children are asleep.

This is the part people don’t see.

And I know I am not the only one living like this.

Many families around me are going through the same thing.

It is not that we don’t want more children, we just don’t have time for the ones we already have.

Other countries

Recently, I spoke to a friend who shared something that made me think.

In Switzerland, it is quite common for parents to have their workload reduced to three to four days a week.

So they can keep their jobs and careers, but with pay and bonuses adjusted proportionally.

It is not just Switzerland.

In the Netherlands, it's widely accepted for parents to work reduced hours for a few years while their children are young.

In Sweden and Norway, parents can return to work with more flexibility and adjust their hours.

In the UK, employees can formally request flexible working arrangements.

These are not casual or temporary jobs, but structured ways for parents to stay in the workforce while having more time during their children’s early years.

An in between

It made me wonder why there is so little room for something like this in Singapore.

Right now, it feels like the only options are to work full-time and rush every day or stop working completely.

There is very little in between.

What if there were more acceptance of more flexible working arrangements for a few years?

It could look like a four-day work week, or even just ending work a few hours earlier.

These don’t sound like big changes. But for parents, they would mean everything.

It is not that we don’t want more kids. Many of us do. 

But even if we want more children in Singapore, will we actually have the time to raise them?

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Top image from Canva