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PAP Women’s Wing urges more support for stay-at-home mothers

SINGAPORE — Stay-at-home mothers should get more support to boost their retirement savings in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts and get training opportunities so they can return to the workforce if they want to, said the women’s wing of the People’s Action Party (PAP).

The PAP’s women’s wing said that, with up-to-date skills, women homemakers will be able to retain a sense of confidence if they wished to return to the workforce. Photo: Thinkstock

The PAP’s women’s wing said that, with up-to-date skills, women homemakers will be able to retain a sense of confidence if they wished to return to the workforce. Photo: Thinkstock

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SINGAPORE — Stay-at-home mothers should get more support to boost their retirement savings in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts and get training opportunities so they can return to the workforce if they want to, said the women’s wing of the People’s Action Party (PAP).

Issuing its response to last Monday’s Budget where, among other things, higher interest rates were announced for the first S$30,000 in CPF accounts, it highlighted that housewives, who have little savings in their CPF nest-eggs, do not benefit from the system.

“As they do not receive formal payment and CPF contributions for their care-giving, they do not enjoy the attractive interest rates paid on CPF balances and the positive effects of interest compounding,” it said in a press statement yesterday. “A sensible approach is for their husbands to make regular voluntary top-ups to their CPF accounts; likewise for their adult working children.”

The Government should raise awareness of the benefits of such top-ups and the availability of GIRO transfer options, it added.

The women’s wing, chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Grace Fu, issued the statement yesterday after a meeting that involved 81 activists from various PAP branches.

Women’s wing exco member Thang Leng Leng said: “Since CPF earns one of the best interest rates in town, this is a smart way for children to provide for their housewife mums, who sacrificed much to bring them up.”

Canberra branch women’s wing vice-chair Kalayani Ramasamy added: “These women depend on their husband’s CPF savings. It is good that the Government now gives more flexibility. But if the wife has been a home-maker, I hope there is a way to remind the husbands to top-up her account.”

Referring to another major announcement in the Budget, the PAP Women’s Wing called on the Government to make special efforts to help stay-at-home mothers take advantage of the SkillsFuture initiatives.

A S$500 SkillsFuture Credit will be given to all Singaporeans aged 25 years and above for work-skills-related training, with periodic top-ups throughout one’s life.

For example, more e-learning options will allow these women to get training from home.

“With up-to-date skills, women homemakers will be better able to retain a sense of confidence to return to the workforce should they wish to do so in future,” it said.

Adding that families have a role to play in creating a supportive ecosystem to encourage these women to pursue lifelong learning, it suggested that the Government consider allowing husbands and children to make partial transfers of their unused SkillsFuture Credits to their stay-at-home wives and mothers.

The PAP Women’s Wing also welcomed various benefits announced in the Budget, including the raising of the CPF salary ceiling, the Silver Support scheme, as well as the reduction in the concessionary foreign domestic worker levy.

Accessibility to pre-school education and childcare services, however, remains an issue in some new towns, it said, urging the authorities to do more to help young couples stay close to their parents so there is greater familial support in raising children.

It also suggested making the monthly CPF-LIFE payouts into joint bank accounts of married couples to encourage spouses to support each other as well as to protect the interests of the spouse with low or no income.

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