Hello.
A report released last week shows that Singapore citizen births fell by 4 per cent in 2022. This might be because last year was the Year of the Tiger, which is considered inauspicious for childbearing in the Chinese lunar calendar.
Why does the Chinese zodiac continue to hold sway over family planning? Even though English is increasingly the lingua franca among Singapore households, tradition has a cultural pull that is difficult to resist. So superstitions on Tiger or Dragon year babies won’t disappear, but they will evolve, says the Institute of Policy Studies’ Tan Poh Lin.
While birth rates have fallen, a record number of Singapore citizens got married in 2022. It is customary to gift newlyweds a hongbao but “market rates” for these cash gifts can go up to S$400 for weddings at swanky hotels. In my latest commentary, I argue that when hosts expect guests to help offset wedding costs, the hongbao becomes a transaction, not a gift.
Today is Children’s Day. While kids deserve to celebrate today, do you wonder whether you should give your children more chores so they learn how to take care of themselves? Mother-of-two Yong Qiao Qing shares how she finds a middle ground between being over-protective and curating household tasks that are intended to imbue in them healthy values.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week. Stay connected for timely updates and comprehensive analysis.
Erin Low
Deputy Editor, Commentary
