July 19, 2020

More Singaporeans are getting married later or not at all, as the number of marriages registered last year hit a nine-year low. CFPR Steering Committee Member Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser articulated that the gloomy global economic climate in the long-term could lead to fewer marriages in future. Employment and income security were also important factors. However, he commented that relationships seen as less conventional, like co-habitation and inter-ethnic marriages, could be increasingly accepted with the shifting of societal values.

Moreover, CFPR’s Founding Director Professor Jean Yeung commented that the main concern of a declining marriage rate is the likelihood of a lower fertility rate. She urges that the gender inequalities at home and at work need to be addressed to encourage more marriages where “the Government should reduce long working hours and increase flexible work arrangements”.