At a special meeting held on the 28th of February, the Women’s Wing of the People’s Action Party (PAP) called on husbands to make voluntary contributions to their-stay-at home wives' Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. This goes for unmarried working children, too, who are called to contribute to their non-working mothers' CPF.
The request was made with the concern that stay-at-home mothers will have little savings to draw upon in their retirement years.
A statement released by the Women’s Wing says, “For stay-at-home mothers, we are especially concerned that they do not get to benefit from the CPF system.
“As they do not receive formal payment and CPF contributions for their care-giving, they do not enjoy the attractive interest rates paid on CPF balances and the positive effects of interest compounding."
The group urges the government to "raise awareness of the benefits of such top-ups and the availability of GIRO transfer options."
The PAP also thinks that it is important that stay-at-home mothers keep their skills up-to-date. This is so that their employability does not decrease and they can take advantage of SkillsFuture Credits. This national initiative helps workers and students acquire and update their skills during their work lives.
The PAP Women’s Wing prods the government to consider allowing husbands and children to make partial transfers of their unused SkillsFuture Credits to provide better support to stay-at-home mums.
Keep reading for pros and cons of CPF top-up for stay-at-home mothers and answer our poll on the next page...
Pros and cons of this move
There are pros and cons to consider regarding this call to action of CPF top-up for stay-at-home mothers.
A definite positive is that stay-at-home mums will have more financial security in the future. This will possibly negate their need to work in their golden years just to get by.
However, families will feel the pressure of the reduced take-home income and will have to cut back on family spending in the present. Stay-at-home mums may even feel pressured to return to work full time.
Parents' reaction
As one would imagine, this proposal for CPF top-up for stay-at-home mothers has been met with outrage online by both stay-at-home mums and their husbands. In general, they feel that the move will reduce their household's disposable income.
As a dad speaking to the redwiretimes.com succinctly puts it, “Sure, I can pay more CPF for my wife. But what are my two my sons going to eat?”
Others have questioned why the family has to shoulder the contribution when the government has not helped in raising salaries in the first place. Some also pointed out that Singaporean households are currently suffering from high prices and underemployment - and that they simply cannot afford making the monthly CPF top-ups.
Tell us what you think!
Answer this poll to let us know what you feel about CPF top-up for stay-at-home mothers...
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* The views and quotes featured here do not represent that of the Asianparent.com or that of the writer.
Parents, we'd like to know what you think of CPF top-up for stay-at-home mothers. Let us know by answering our poll or leaving a comment below.
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