Banker Paweena Chimplee has always loved children and had planned to have her own one day. But after five years of marriage, her plan remains a dream.
OH BABY: Although many people still want to be parents, they are thinking twice before making a commitment because of concerns over costs and education.
With a combined income of about 70,000 baht a month and medical benefits from her company, the 33-year-old feels financially secure enough to raise a child.
"But there seem to be so many social problems these days that I don't want my kid to deal with," she said.
"So our plan to have a child has been postponed all these years," she said. "If we were living in a place where it's more safe and secure, we wouldn't be as hesitant as this."
Ms Paweena is among the millions of women aged between 20 and 34 who have been targeted by the Ministry of Public Health to bear children for the nation.
Its campaign involved the distribution of folic acid and iron, dubbed magic vitamins, to potential mothers to take before a planned pregnancy to help prevent birth defects.
The campaign included improved maternity leave so that new mums could care for their babies better while providing tax measures to relieve the financial burden of child rearing. But the ministry, which runs the baby-for-the-nation project, chose to highlight the magic pills.
The plan to distribute vitamins was announced earlier this month in response to the government's policy to increase Thailand's birth rate as approved by the cabinet in October last year.
Being one of the potential mothers-for-the-nation, Ms Paweena doesn't think it will make a powerful incentive for people to have kids, however.
"The government really needs to come up with clearer policies that benefit parents and children if they really want people to reproduce," Ms Paweena said. "It costs so much to raise a child. Parents want to ensure that their kids grow up happy with adequate support from every sector."
Statistics show that Thailand's population growth rate has declined from 2.7% in 1970 to 0.4% two years ago. The figure is expected to reach zero within 10 years.
Asst Prof Bhubate Samutachak, deputy director of the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University, said the total fertility rate (TFR) -- which is the average number of children born to a woman -- is considered low at 1.67. The TFR should not fall below two.
"Working-age populations will continue to decrease while the number of aged people will keep growing. This will result in a lack of people to produce goods and services as well as sustain society, which will affect the country including economic growth," he explained.
By 2040, it is expected that 17 million people, or over a quarter of the Thai population, will be aged over 65, according to the World Bank.
The short-term solution is to give better treatment to migrant workers, who play an important role in the workforce, so that they can have a good life and be encouraged to improve their productivity, he said, adding that the mid-term solution is to seek ways to prolong the working life of aged people so that they can reduce their dependence on the younger generation.
"But most importantly, the long-term solution has to be done at the structural level, which is to seek ways to retain and increase the birth rate," he said.
An increasing number of middle-class people do not own an excessive amount of assets but still have to survive in a competitive society, and for them it is expensive to raise a child, Mr Bhubate said. In today's world, child rearing is no longer as simple and easy as it was in the past, which is why people are thinking twice before committing themselves to becoming parents, he said.
Though Mr Bhubate believes most people yearn to have a child, many unsupported factors in raising children impede them from doing so.
"To increase the birth rate, the issue should be put on the national agenda so that every sector is required to help create a conducive child-rearing environment," he said.
The government does provide some benefits for having children such as free education for 12 years, but the education system remains a matter of concern for prospective parents because of the perceived high inequality, Mr Bhubate said.
Ms Paweena said if she has a child, she would prefer to enrol it in a private school. Though that would mean higher expenses, she believes her child would be better taken care of than in a public school.
The state provides other benefits such as the universal healthcare scheme for newborns. Mothers are also entitled to free childbirth and prenatal care.
A child support grant is also up and running. However, that was not meant to be an incentive to bear children. Rather, it is a subsidy for low-income families in the hope that it will decrease their financial burden.
Mr Bhubate thinks that is not enough.
Parents should not have to be worried about childcare. Nor when the children grow up should parents feel discomfort about letting their kids travel on their own on public transport.
Only when their security is ensured can society be considered safe enough, he said.
