One and done: why more Singapore couples are saying ‘no thanks’ to big families
- In Singapore and around Asia, young couples are likely to have one child if resources are tight, according to a recent study
- The trend means couples can ‘experience parenthood’ while maintaining a preferred lifestyle that includes work-life balance, holidays and date nights
Singaporean Amber Quah, 26, and her partner plan to build a family together after getting married, and they have decided they want to have only one child.
They arrived at this decision after considering the cost of living and inflation, which would mean they both have to work full-time “to comfortably provide for our family”.
“The fact is that two children will double expenses, double education tuition and double the attention needed,” said Quah, a civil servant, and whose partner works as an aerospace engineer.
“I want to have Saturday date nights with my partner without having to worry about whether my kids are fighting,” she said. “I don’t want to worry about how I’m going to afford my child’s education, and then having that worry double as I think about the other one. A toddler throwing a tantrum in one arm and a baby crying in the other? No, thanks.”
