NST Leader: Family plans on hold

The 2026 RingjetPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey reveals that nearly a quarter of Malaysians aged 25 to 44 are postponing or avoiding marriage and having their first child due to financial reasons. This percentage increases to 28.9 per cent for those aged 25 to 34. This contradicts earlier assumptions that younger Malaysians are losing interest in marriage or parenthood.

A majority of single respondents still intend to marry and have children, but economic pressures are making these aspirations more challenging to achieve. Financial security is increasingly difficult to balance with the desire to start a family. Despite government efforts to encourage marriage and parenthood, underlying barriers like housing affordability, stagnant wages, job insecurity, and high childcare costs remain unaddressed.

While financial incentives may help, they cannot replace comprehensive policies aimed at boosting household incomes, increasing affordable childcare, and providing greater workplace flexibility for working parents. Encouraging dual-income families could alleviate some financial pressures, but there may be contradictory objectives if policies encourage more women to enter the workforce, yet women aged for childbearing are among the last to be hired in the job market.

If financial concerns persist, the consequences could be grave, resulting in fewer births and an accelerated aging population. However, a majority of Malaysians, even those earning less than RM2,000, contribute financially to their aging parents or parents-in-law. This behavior highlights the need for policy adjustments that provide financial assistance to older Malaysians with minimal or no pensions.

Policymakers should focus on creating conditions where marriage and parenthood become viable financial choices rather than simply lecturing about family values.