Most of 4,646 people surveyed: No

WHO: 80 per cent of single respondents and 85 per cent of married respondents in a survey contacted by the National Population And Talent Division - part of the Prime Minister's Office

WHAT: The majority of the 4,646 respondents felt that only legally married couples should havechildren

While Singaporeans are generally sympathetic to the plight of single mothers, most still feel that children should only be for those who are married.

Mr Lim Soon Hock, chairman of the National Family Council points to the survey and says: "This reflects that our society is not quite ready to accept children born outside wedlock.

"Although we want more babies to add to our population, the issue is whether, as a society, we want to encourage children born out of wedlock."

Housewife Susan Koh, 50, married with one daughter, 18, and son, 14, agrees.

"There are a lot of single unwed mothers nowadays, but it still doesn't mean that premarital sex is right.

"We should get married first before having children. I mean, we can't possibly be encouraging women to become single mothers, right?"

Dr Ho Kong Weng, assistant professor in the Division of Economics, Nanyang Technological University, said in an article he contributed to the Business Times in 2010: "The single parent, usually the mother, has to struggle between household production and her career outside her home, facing more tension in work-life balance, and her child could likely face emotional tension as well without complete care from both parents, financially and otherwise.

"Consequently, the children from disrupted families may not perform academically as well as those from intact families. In adulthood, these children are more likely to fall behind in terms of economic status, meaning diminished upward mobility."

Mr Lim also rubbishes claims that policies unfriendly to single unwed mums encourage women to have abortions.

Abortion rates and a society's acceptance of births outside of wedlock may only have a tenuous link, he says.

"Societies with high acceptance of single parents do not necessarily have significantly lower abortion rates.

"The decision to abort a pregnancy or otherwise is a very personal one, affected by many factors."

The Ministry of Social and Family Development also feels that the decision to abort a baby is deeply personal.

All single parents have access to social assistance, says its spokesman.

"If they face financial difficulties or require social assistance, they can approach any of the Community Development Councils or Family Service Centres for assistance."

Help Family Service Centre, for example, provides counselling and casework services for single parents and their children.

It also organises support groups and programmes, which aim to help the single-parent families to cope.

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