16-7-2024 (SINGAPORE) The post-pandemic wedding rush has subsided, and Singapore witnessed a dip in the number of couples tying the knot in 2023, according to the inaugural Family Trends Report published by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on July 15th. The report, which consolidates statistics related to every stage of family life, revealed that 28,310 couples registered their marriages in 2023, a 3.7 percent decrease from the record high of 29,389 marriages in 2022.
Veteran marriage solemniser Joanna Portilla attributed the surge in marriages in 2022 to the easing and lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, such as curbs on the maximum number of guests at weddings. Many couples who had postponed their nuptials due to earlier restrictions seized the opportunity to tie the knot in 2022, leading to the record-high numbers. The subsequent decline in 2023 is not unexpected, reflecting a return to more typical marriage patterns after the post-pandemic rush.
The report also highlighted a notable increase in the proportion of people staying single in the past decade. The percentage of male residents aged between 25 and 49 who were single rose from 31.2 percent in 2013 to 35.4 percent in 2023. Similarly, the corresponding figure for women increased from 25.1 percent in 2013 to 28.7 percent in 2023.
Singapore’s resident total fertility rate, which refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years, fell to a historic low of 0.97 in 2023. The report further revealed that a growing proportion of women are remaining childless or having just one child by the end of their reproductive years. In 2023, 13.9 percent of female residents aged between 40 and 49 who were ever married did not have any children, up from 10 percent in 2013. Additionally, the proportion of such women who have one child rose from 20.8 percent in 2013 to 23.8 percent in 2023.
Dr. Mathew Mathews, principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, noted that couples are marrying and having children later in life, which may limit the number of children a woman can eventually have due to declining fertility with age. He also acknowledged a shift in societal attitudes, where being childless is no longer stigmatized, and some couples prioritize their careers and personal fulfillment over starting a family.
Professor Jean Yeung, the director of social sciences at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s Institute for Clinical Sciences, attributed the trend to young adults focusing more on self-development rather than marriage and babies. She highlighted the disproportionate cost of marriage and childbearing for women, who often shoulder most of the caregiving and housework responsibilities, potentially hindering their career advancement and personal interests.
On a positive note, the report indicated greater marriage stability among couples who wed more recently. The cumulative proportion of marriages that ended before their 10th anniversary fell from 17 percent among couples who wed in 2005 to 15.3 percent for those who wed in 2012. Marriage counsellors attributed this improvement to increased availability of marital programmes, counselling services, and a reduction in the stigma surrounding seeking help for marital issues.
