Vow factor soars as divorce rates hit a 13-year low

SINGAPORE — A record number of couples tied the knot here last year while divorce rates sank to the lowest since 2001, figures released by the Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) today (July 29) show.

Wedding bells chimed on 28,407 occasions last year, 8.2 per cent higher than the 26,254 in 2013. This translated to 44.4 grooms for every 1,000 bachelors between 15 and 49 years old, up from 40.5 in 2013. The rate for brides was 40.8, a rise from 36.9 in 2013.

Overall, the trend of later marriages continued: The median age at which men and women walked down the aisle for the first time was 30.2 and 28.2 last year — rising by 0.8 years and 0.5 years, respectively, from a decade before.

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The proportion of those who tied the knot before turning 30 was smaller than that a decade ago. The peak age group for women getting married also shifted from 25 to 29 years old in 2004 to 30 to 34 years old last year.

In contrast, the peak age group for males remained unchanged at 30 to 34 years old.

Meanwhile, the DOS report showed that interethnic marriages have become more common, making up 20.4 per cent of marriages last year, up from 13.1 per cent in 2004.

Divorces and annulments last year fell by 2.9 per cent from 7,525 to 7,307. This worked out to 6.2 out of 1,000 husbands splitting with their wives. As for women, the rate was 6.4. These were the lowest in more than a decade.

Observers said the spike in marriages last year was because children of baby boomers had reached marriageable age.

In terms of whether the enhancements made to the Marriage and Parenthood Package in January 2013 played a significant part, their opinions were divided.

National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser said the baby boomers are now 51 to 69 years old, putting their children at marriageable age. The jump in the number of marriages could also be due to a “backlog” of singles nearing 40 years old, he added.

Following the rollout of the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package at the start of 2013, the number of marriages that year fell.

NUS sociologist Paulin Straughan said there could be a lag before the package achieves its desired impact because couples attracted by the incentives would still take some time to settle down.

“(The enhanced package) encourages those who have already found a significant other to go ahead (and get married),” she said.

However, deputy director of Fei Yue Community Services, Mr Arthur Ling, felt the package had been geared more towards parenthood.“I don’t think when people are thinking about marriage, (the package) comes into play,” said Mr Ling, who has been managing marriage-preparation courses over the past decade.

“So far, I have not come across people getting married because of the (Marriage and Parenthood) Package.”

He added that couples thinking of marriage often consider issues such as whether they have a roof over their heads or financial stability before tying the knot.

“I see that the trend is younger couples have to believe (they) are prepared in both career and financial aspects before getting married,” said Mr Ling.

Families for Life Council’s chairman Ching Wei Hong said it was too early to tell whether the marriage and divorce trends would be sustained, although he noted that these trends had “remained largely consistent” over the past five years.

He added that couples could strengthen the foundation of their marriage by picking up relevant skills and knowledge from marriage-preparation and enrichment courses.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said the median age when marrying rose from 29.4 years old in 2004 to 30.2 years old for grooms last year. The figures refer to the median age at first marriage. We have amended the story to reflect this more accurately.