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Opinion
When homes are small and costly, dreams of having a family shrink
In Asian cities, imagining family life has become the real work of adulthood – shaped by square footage, commute times and childcare options
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Nicole Chan is a Singapore-born, Edinburgh-educated writer and communications strategist.
Across Asia’s densest cities, the milestones of adulthood are quietly shifting. Couples share kitchens with parents. Some wait years on public housing lists. Others secure a flat before thinking about a ring. In some cases, keys come before vows. Increasingly, love moves in step with property. Square footage, mortgage approvals and ballot results shape decisions that once felt spontaneous.
At first glance, falling fertility rates might look like a purely economic or demographic problem.
Singapore’s total fertility rate recently dropped to 0.87, the lowest on record. Across East Asia, from Tokyo to Seoul, similar patterns are emerging. Sky-high rents, tiny flats and relentless work schedules are delaying marriage and, for many, creating doubts over whether to have children at all.
But the story is about more than numbers. It’s about what couples can realistically offer the next generation. Housing does more than provide shelter; it shapes daily life. It decides whether a child has a room of their own, whether grandparents can live nearby to help, and whether parks or schools are even accessible. In cities where even modest flats consume decades of savings, the question isn’t just affordability, it’s whether the environment is right for raising a child.
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