On Valentine’s Day this year, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong made his Budget 2023 speech and it seems like there’s plenty of love (for young families).
In a nutshell, young families can look forward to a $3,000 increase in the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, increased Government contributions to the Child Development Account (CDA), six more day of unpaid infant care leave, and paternity leave will be doubled from the current two weeks to four weeks.
“To all young married couples, whether you already have a newborn, or you are expecting a baby, or you plan to have a baby, we have something to help you in your parenthood journey,” said DPM Wong in his speech.
As a new(ish) mother myself, who is dithering whether or not to have a second child, the monetary incentives are definitely an interesting factor in my consideration. But ultimately, it’ll take more than state-sponsored benefits to tip me in favour of having another baby. After all, a child is for life – there needs to be other more robust support systems put in place to give young families the confidence to grow their brood.
I spoke to five mothers with young families who also shared their feelings about the recent announcements. They also gave their thoughts on their hopes for future announcements and the kind of support they’d really like to see from the government. Here’s what they said.