‘Sandwiched class’ couple with S$10k monthly income considers second child but discouraged by rising cost of living

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean couple that’s part of the “sandwiched class”, a group of Singaporeans who do not qualify for support schemes for low-income households yet often experience middle-class anxiety, earning a combined monthly income of S$10,000 has been considering a second child but said they have been discouraged by the rising cost of living.

The husband wrote on r/askSingapore: “I know both our salaries are above the median in SG, but I can’t help but still feel the pinch from the rising cost of living as a sandwiched class.”

The couple already have a 4-year-old daughter, but the husband said being part of the “sandwich generation” meant giving their parents a monthly allowance as well.

He also said that they are not big spenders and don’t spend unnecessarily on enrichment programmes or luxury holidays — making him wonder if other parents in the city-state are also “feeling the pinch of raising kids with the high cost of living”.

Parents in the comments echoed the same sentiments. One commenter, whose child is the same age as the post author’s, earns S$6,000 more in combined income but said they also “cannot afford” a second child, much less have the energy to raise one.

Another couple, pregnant with their first child, with a combined income of S$11,000, said they couldn’t help but worry about how much their expenses would rise when they’re already feeling the pinch and the baby is not even born yet.

Earlier this year, a mom even shared four reasons online why she thinks Singaporeans are choosing to have only one or two children, or not have any at all.

Concerns like these come amid the decline of Singapore’s marriage and total fertility rates, prompting support measures from the government.

On Aug 23, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his National Day Rally speech, announced support measures aimed at helping families thrive in Singapore. 

This included additional leave days for parents, lower childcare and infant care fees, and nearly S$70,000 in total support for each child, provided from birth until they turn 17.

He said this is the government’s way of letting Singaporean families know: “If you choose to have children, the government will stand with you.”

Still, while many welcomed the new support measures and applauded the help for families, a mom and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner was left scratching her head over some of the changes.

Although she said she was grateful for the government’s support as a mother of three, she also raised concerns as an employer whose staff is more than 80% female, pointing to possible downsides it could bring to businesses, including manpower shortages. /TISG

Read also: PSP’s Stephanie Tan: Hard to see having children as a blessing when joys of parenting are overshadowed by daily struggle