Netizen: ‘Do Singaporeans aged 21-29 generally prefer to have kids, or not?’

SINGAPORE: Do older Gen Z, younger millennials, i.e. those between 21 and 29 in Singapore, want to have children? A question that u/Mackocid6706 on r/askSingapore asked on Monday (June 5).

”I know some people who are not fond of kids, yet they still want them. And some people who are ok with having and also ok with not having them.”

He also asked what the common reasons are behind the answer to his question, or even some of the more unusual reasons.

“Would love to hear some views/opinions/thoughts whether you are from this category or not,” he added.

A 23-year-old woman answered, “Personally I’m leaning towards no kids. Currently I’m interning and by the end of the day, I feel super tired and no energy to do anything. I think it will probably be the same when I start work. I don’t think I have the energy to work + look after kids. I’m also quite selfish in the sense that I need a lot of “me time” and cannot see myself sacrificing my entire life to another human being.”

“Being child-free is awesome!,” wrote another Reddit user.

“Throwing to the maid seems to be the most common “solution” I see people use. Too difficult to balance work with children. It is really a full-time job,” said another.

One netizen, however, warned the post author that the commenters who answer his post might be biased, writing, “You’re on Reddit. People here are generally childfree supporters. Don’t take this as a representative sample of people lmao.”

“90% of my friends (20s – 30s) want kids. The only reason you don’t hear of them is because they dont go on reddit projecting their insecurities or needing validation on wanting kids,” another agreed.

Another commenter listed why she doesn’t want to have kids. “Firstly, the cost of living has risen astronomically and I don’t want the additional financial burden of having a child. Secondly, I feel like I would not be a good parent because I’m very impatient. Thirdly, I don’t like the direction the world is heading in and I’d rather not subject a child to living in a world with rapid climate change and rising economic inequality/cost of living.”