Please kindly refer to the following articles:

Singapore needs shift in societal mindset to boost low fertility rates

‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis

Confugenics – modern eugenics in East Asia

Unrealistic Parental Expectations Encourage Misuse Of New Genetic Technologies In IVF

Unequal access to reprogenetic cognitive enhancement due to consistently high costs

Normative, empirical, and pragmatic ethical objections to Singapore permitting human genetic enhancement via germline genome editing

Introduction

      Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) has reached a critical juncture, hitting a record low of 1.04 in 2022, and declining further to 0.97 per woman in 2023 and 2024. This decline represents an existential threat to the nation’s economic growth and survival, prompting a deep investigation into the sociological factors driving this trend. While common explanations include high living costs, busy work schedules, and a stressful education system, the root causes are more deeply embedded in societal mindsets and unrealistic expectations.

Female Hypergamy and the Marriage Gap

      A primary sociological driver for the low birth rate is the mismatch in marriage expectations, particularly regarding educational and professional attainment. Singaporean society is currently experiencing a significant "mating gap" driven by the fact that women are outperforming men in higher education. In 2021, 64 percent of women aged 25–34 held a university degree compared to 56 percent of men.

      This educational disparity clashes with the deeply ingrained cultural practice of female hypergamy, where women traditionally seek to marry men who are richer, more educated, and of higher status than themselves. From an evolutionary biology perspective, this behavior stems from a woman’s need to secure a partner who can provide the best resources and genes for her offspring, especially given the significant physical and time investment required for pregnancy and childcare. Because there are not enough "eligible" men who meet these high expectations, many university-educated women remain single or delay marriage, often turning to technologies like egg freezing to buy time in their search for "Mr. Right". Statistical data confirms that the higher a woman’s education, the more likely she is to remain single.

 Child Perfectionism and the "Kiasu" Culture

       Even for those who do marry, the quest for the "perfect child" serves as a major deterrent to having multiple children. Singapore’s culture is characterized by a hyper-competitive "kiasu" (afraid to lose) mentality, heavily influenced by Confucian values. In this framework, a child’s academic success is directly tied to family honor; failure "causes parents to ‘lose face’" in front of their social circles.

      This has led to the rise of "tiger-parenting," where parents invest massive amounts of time and money into their children’s education from a very young age. This includes spending large portions of household income on after-school tuition and even purchasing expensive properties near prestigious primary schools to secure an advantage. The sheer financial and emotional weight of raising a single child to these unattainable standards makes the prospect of having a second or third child feel daunting and unsustainable for many parents.

The Looming Future Threat of New Reprogenetic Technologies in Further Reducing Birthrates

      Looking ahead, new reprogenetic technologies for human enhancement pose a significant threat that could depress fertility rates even further. These technologies include:

• Polygenic Embryo Screening (PES): Using predictive genetic tests to select IVF embryos with the "best" predicted health or intelligence.
• Human Germline Gene Editing: Directly altering embryos to amplify desirable traits such as high IQ, athletic prowess, or physical beauty (e.g., height and complexion).

      While these technologies are often marketed as a way to optimize a child’s life, they are likely to backfire in a society like Singapore. A survey indicated that Singaporeans have a higher approval rating for human cognitive enhancement compared to Americans, viewing it as a "quick and expedient" way to ensure academic success in a competitive environment.

Economic Deterrents and the "Red Queen" Effect

      The integration of these technologies into the fertility market will likely lower birth rates for several reasons:

1. Persistent High Costs: Unlike consumer electronics, which get cheaper through mass production, these medical procedures are labor-intensive and require highly skilled professionals. Much like dental implants, the costs of PES and gene editing will likely remain high because they cannot be easily automated and must be performed in specialized clinical settings. Consequently, parents may choose to have only one "genetically superior" child because they cannot afford to enhance multiple offspring.
2. The "Red Queen" Effect: There is a fallacy that enhancing a child’s innate abilities will reduce the parenting burden. In reality, permitting cognitive enhancement would likely trigger a "Red Queen" effect, where parents must spend more time and resources just to keep up with a peer group that is also enhanced. Because Singapore’s education system groups children by ability, enhanced children would compete against each other, potentially forcing parents to pay for even more advanced tuition to maintain a competitive edge.
3. Social Pressure and Guilt: Aggressive marketing by private fertility clinics could instill a sense of guilt in prospective parents, making them feel that they are failing their children by not utilizing every available technological advantage. This added layer of social pressure makes having a child even more stressful and expensive.

Social Fragmentation and Inequality

      Beyond individual choices, the widespread use of reprogenetic technologies could exacerbate social inequalities. In a multiracial society like Singapore, if only affluent families can afford "enhanced" children, it could lead to the further marginalization of minority groups and increased interracial and socioeconomic tensions.

      Furthermore, these technologies could cause intra-family conflict. If parents can only afford to enhance their second child but not their first, it may lead to accusations of favoritism, jealousy, and resentment among siblings, ultimately disrupting family harmony.

Conclusion

      To address the fertility crisis, the Singapore government must go beyond financial subsidies. There is an urgent need for a broad shift in societal mindset to move away from unrealistic expectations of marriage and the obsessive quest for child perfection. Simultaneously, policymakers must be wary of the unregulated misuse of assisted reproductive technologies for human enhancement, as the high costs and competitive pressures associated with these "designer" children are likely to further discourage parents from expanding their families. Singapore's drive for success has created a tide that "some boats simply cannot take," and without addressing these underlying sociological pressures, the birth rate may continue its downward trajectory.