Thais support state subsidies for childcare, free education to boost birthrate

[webfact]

 

A recent poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) reveals that most Thais are advocating for state subsidies for childcare and free education to encourage childbearing amidst Thailand’s transition into an ageing society with a declining birthrate.

 

The poll was carried out from September 26 to 28, with 1,310 participants aged 18-40 from various educational backgrounds, professions, and income groups across the country. The respondents shared a blend of marital statuses and numbers of children, with 29.39% being unmarried and not in a relationship, and 26.57% officially married with at least one child.

 

Among the 759 respondents who did not have children, 53.89% expressed a desire to have one or more kids while 44.00% did not, and 2.11% were either unsure or disinterested. The reasons for not wanting to have a child, as stated by the 334 respondents who chose so, varied.

 

by Atima Homtientong

Picture courtesy of Bangkok Post.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-02

 

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[sidjameson]

In other countries these policies barely move the dial. 

[hotchilli]

49 minutes ago, sidjameson said:

In other countries these policies barely move the dial. 

Thailand has a lot of learning to go yet... 

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thais are advocating for state subsidies for childcare

Problem is - world wide - that the child care payments are so expensive that it probably pays just to pay the mother to stay home and not work than pay out and not get the money back in taxes !

 

In UK on 2022 - 25 hours child care was £8000 ish, so a full working week would be say £11,000. The UK government would be financially better of saying stay home and take care the kid here's the money

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Make further incentives to encourage falang 70 year olds to settle in Thai villages of the North or Isaan. The birth rate will rocket.

[JimHuaHin]

2 hours ago, sidjameson said:

In other countries these policies barely move the dial. 

Correct - I cannot recall coming across any academic articles over the past 4-5 decades which show that pro-natalists policies have any significant impact on declining fertility rates.

 

Even countries which have introduced policies to encouraged the immigration of young couples (from high fertility countries, mainly in "developing" Africa and Asia) have failed to slow the decline of national fertility rates.

[tomazbodner]

Looking at the title and the photo at the top... I guess army wouldn't mind getting them in early...

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, sidjameson said:

In other countries these policies barely move the dial. 

but "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

Thailand is not going to change overnight.

Every step here takes a lot of effort.

[retarius]

7 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Problem is - world wide - that the child care payments are so expensive that it probably pays just to pay the mother to stay home and not work than pay out and not get the money back in taxes !

 

In UK on 2022 - 25 hours child care was £8000 ish, so a full working week would be say £11,000. The UK government would be financially better of saying stay home and take care the kid here's the money

So an hour of child care is 320 pounds (8000/25)? Seems a bit high to me. My granddaughters care was only 60 pounds and hour.

[rickudon]

There is free childcare - our daughter went to a government nursery school, free. We did try a private nursery, but daughter was abused because she wouldn't sleep. Government nursery was much better.