Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the Exemplary Father Award 2019

President Ain Society Mr Abdul Malek Osman

Panel of juries for Exemplary Father Award

Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon,

I am pleased to be here at the Ain Society’s 8^thExemplary Father Award ceremony. 

Every year through this award, we recognise the contributions and sacrifices of fathers in our community who have made a lasting impact on the lives of their children. This ceremony also provides a platform for the “veteran” fathers to share their experiences, stories and lessons with others. 

A father’s involvement in family life has evolved in many ways over the years. In the past, fathers were often the main decision maker and the sole breadwinner. Compared to mothers, fathers were much less involved in the day-to-day running of the household, and in parenting the children. But this has changed. Today, there is a lot more flexibility in the role each parent plays in their children’s life. Fathers are no longer just the ‘disciplinarian’, or the more distant parent who rarely attends his children’s school events. It is not uncommon to see modern fathers changing diapers or participating in school activities with their children. And this change is for the better.

Research has shown that active and involved fathers can positively influence the moral, social, emotional and educational developmentof their children. Fathers who are more hands on with the caring of their children become exemplary role models to their next generation.  With both fathers and mothers sharing parenting responsibilities more equally, children grow up more positive and confident. I would like to stress the significance of children’s early years. From the time they are born to the age of three to four years old, their brain develops exponentially. This is a crucial period where parents should pay more attention to their children’s growth. I would also like to advise parents to refrain from exposing young children to television, computers and mobile devices as a ‘substitute for caregiving’ as this will affect their development. Interaction between parents and their young children is very important as this can have positive influence on them.

I am glad that numerous initiatives at the national and community level have been introduced to encourage fathers to play a more active role in the family. 

Parenting is a shared responsibility. It is therefore also important for husbands and wives (or fathers and mothers) to support each other in their parenting journey. Mothers can give support to their husbands by acknowledging their efforts and contributions as a father to the children. This year’s Celebrating Fathers movement by the Centre for Fathering encourages mothers to show appreciation to fathers for all that they do for their families. This also means mothers need to take a step back sometimes to allow fathers the space to be more hands on in parenting the children. 

Support from employers is also helpful in encouraging fathers to play a more active role in the lives of their children. From 2017, working fathers can take two weeks of paid paternity leave, and share up to four weeks of their wife’s maternity leave, after the birth of their child. In addition, some companies provide additional paid paternity leave up till a month for working fathers. Offering such pro-family initiatives in addition to an attractive salary will help to attract and retain talent. Nevertheless, companies with such positive policies remain a minority in Singapore.  I would therefore like to urge more companies to do so.

However, apart from company policies, workplace and cultural norms also play a significant part in whether fathers feel empowered to use their paternity leave.  Today, about 53% of new fathers take paternity leave to care for their newborns and support their wives. This means out of every 10 fathers, only five take paternity leave. Compared to the 70-80% utilisation rate in Nordic countries, Singapore still lags behind.  Working fathers may choose not to take time off work for fear that their supervisors and colleagues view it negatively, or that doing so may affect their employment and career progression. To encourage more fathers to use their paternity leave, a culture shift is needed at work, and across society.

The National Population and Talent Division is gathering perspectives and suggestions from Singaporeans about marriage and parenthood. Its HeyBaby website is holding a series of monthly polls, including  how we can build a culture conducive for fulfilling both work as well as our marriage and parenthood aspirations. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to participate and share your views on how else the Government and society can better support working parents – fathers and mothers – to balance their parenting and work responsibilities. The Chief Jury shared with me that the panel had a hard time selecting the winner as all 24 nominees were deserving of the award. I do hope there will be more nominations in the years to come as the award gains more recognition as it aims to reinforce the important role of fathers in the family in strengthening the family institution.

In closing, let me congratulate all the finalists and recipients of the Exemplary Father Award this year. Your efforts and sacrifices are meaningful to your children, your family and the community. Let me also thank Ain Society for organising this very meaningful award every year. It shows the organisation’s resilience to continuously raise awareness on the importance of family in the community. 

Thank you.