'I hope fathers will make full use of this': PM Wong on new shared parental leave kicking in

The new shared parental leave scheme has now taken effect, giving working parents of newborns 10 weeks of paid parental leave, to be shared between both partners.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong posted on Facebook on Apr. 1, the first day of the policy, saying, "I hope fathers will make full use of this to be present in their children’s early years".

He also hoped it would provide mothers with added support and reassurance during this important phase, and enable families to decide together how best to use this time in a way that works for them.

More parental leave

The new policy was announced by PM Wong at the 2024 National Day Rally.

It replaces the previous scheme where working mothers can share up to four of their 16 weeks’ government-paid maternity leave with their husbands.

By default, the 10 weeks of shared leave are split evenly into five weeks each for mothers and fathers, but they can rearrange them to fit their needs.

The leave should be used within the first 12 months of the child's birth.

In addition, PM Wong also announced that government-paid paternity leave will be doubled from two weeks to four weeks.

During his speech at the time, PM Wong said that the traditional view that fathers are the exclusive breadwinners and mothers are the main caregivers has to change.

"Women these days have every opportunity to excel in their careers…so fathers must play a bigger role," he added.

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Top images by CPF Board via Lawrence Wong's Facebook