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In an interview, SMU Professor of Psychology Norman Li said that Singaporeans are having fewer babies due to an evolutionary mismatch. Prof Li noted that people are now living in a time where technology changed things culturally and environmentally, adding that the accumulated environmental input fosters not wanting to have children. He said that the Government may need to consider an alternative to the traditional nuclear family units to encourage citizens to procreate. On the limited impacts of incentives on birth rates, Prof Li said that there are other factors contributing to people's reproductive endeavours, such as pressure and stress, increased competition, and job uncertainties. He suggested that Singapore should move beyond financial incentives and consider deeper structural reforms that might make parenthood manageable to boost fertility.
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