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Aware calls for free childcare, financial incentives to help low-income mothers break out of poverty

SINGAPORE — Trends such as more unstable employment are making it increasingly harder for lower-income families to balance work and care, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) said in a new document based on interviews with 47 low-income mothers.

A pre-schooler plays with toys.

A pre-schooler plays with toys.

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SINGAPORE — Trends such as more unstable employment are making it increasingly harder for lower-income families to balance work and care, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) said in a new document based on interviews with 47 low-income mothers.

In the report titled "Why Are You Not Working?", released ahead of a panel discussion on Saturday (Aug 11), the gender equality advocacy group called for measures to stimulate social mobility by "dramatically" improving the financial circumstances of low-income families.

Among its recommendations: Free childcare for families with monthly household income of less than S$2,500, improving the Government's ComCare assistance for needy families after the beneficiaries find employment, and enhancing laws barring employers from discriminating workers based on family responsibilities.

"Conflict between work and care is not a recent phenomenon, nor is it restricted to low-income families. Why then a new report with a focus on low-income mothers?" the 37-page report stated.

"The answer is that the rise of precarious employment, the gradual withering away of family support (as a result of smaller, nuclear families) and inadequate public support for caregiving have created new pressures that make balancing work and care increasingly unmanageable for lower-income families."

Many respondents faced long waiting lists and no vacancies at subsidised childcare centres in areas that are most convenient for them. This, despite the total number of places offered at childcare centres exceeding overall demand, Aware noted.

It called for children from families with household income of less than S$2,500 or less than S$650 per capita to be given free childcare regardless of their mothers' employment status. Such a provision would allow some mothers to have more time to find suitable work after successfully placing their children in childcare, it said.

And while the Government is ramping up subsidised childcare places, lower-income families should be allowed to access non-subsidised childcare centres for free until 2022, Aware said. This could be limited to those who have tried but failed to enrol in subsidised childcare, it said, adding that there should also be more flexible childcare options such as licensing child-minders and night-care services.

Only about one-third of the 47 mothers interviewed — who were beneficiaries of non-profit organisation Daughters of Tomorrow — were in stable formal employment, meaning either working full-time or part-time with Central Provident Fund (CPF) benefits.

The remainder did informal work or were financially dependent on their partners and/or parents. Their median monthly household income was S$1,500 to S$1,999.

The majority of the mothers (60 per cent) mentioned childcare responsibilities as one of the reasons they had to temporarily or permanently stop working.

"People don't understand how important (flexibility) is for us (as mothers)," said a respondent of the study. "When your kids are sick, your kids are sick. You just want to drop everything and just run to them. To have supportive employers is amazing."

Aware called for casual workers to be paid a higher base rate to compensate for the lack of certain benefits such as CPF contributions and annual leave.

Work has to be "a lot more attractive" in order to reduce poverty and provide families with a chance to get out of poverty, the report stated.

Aware called for the Government's ComCare assistance to be extended for 12 months after recipients find employment. For the first six months, ComCare payments should be adjusted such that together with the monthly household income, a family has at least S$650 per capita, it said.

After five months of employment, a ComCare recipient should undergo a free financial literacy course, Aware proposed. Those who remain employed after six months should receive a "retention bonus", and should be helped by a six-month savings matching scheme, subject to a cap.

Aware's executive director Corinna Lim said: "There is growing attention paid to how inequality affects families in Singapore. When we talk about inequality, we need to especially look at how mothers, as caregivers, are impacted."

The debate on inequality in recent months has seen academics, social workers and politicians weighing in on topics such as needs versus wants, certain choices made by lower-income families, and the impact of Government policies.

Panellists at Saturday's discussion include Ms Lim, sociologist Teo You Yenn, and Daughters of Tomorrow's executive director Carrie Tan. It will be held from 11am to 1pm at the SingPost auditorium at SingPost Centre Level 5.

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