Number of divorces continues to rise, while fewer tie the knot

SINGAPORE – The number of married couples who called it quits continued to rise for the second consecutive year ending in 2016, while fewer people tied the knot over the same period, the latest official statistics show.

Last year saw 7,614 marriages that broke down, 1.2 per cent more than the 7,522 divorces and annulments in 2015, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics’ (Singstat) data released on Tuesday (July 18).

This is due to the rising number of dissolutions of civil marriages – from 5,855 in 2015 to 5,912 last year – and the growing number of Muslim divorces from 1,667 to 1,702 over the same period. The number of divorces has been inching up since 2015.

On the other hand, the number of marriages has declined, from 28,407 in 2014 to 27,971 in 2016. The drop in last year’s figure was due to fewer civil marriages, which fell from 22,544 in 2015 to 22,017 last year.

This, despite the rising number of Muslim marriages, from 5,778 to 5,954 over the same period.

While remarriages were more common among Muslim couples, the proportion of such nuptials continued to decline in the last decade -- from 35.3 per cent in 2006 to 28.8 per cent last year.

The report, Statistics on Marriages and Divorces Reference Year 2016, showed that remarriages were also more prevalent among men than women. In 2016, 16.6 per cent of the men who tied the knot had been married before, while the figure was lower for the women, at 14.8 per cent.

Similar to an earlier Singstat finding for the period ending in 2015, this year’s report  found that couples married between five and nine years accounted for the largest share  (31.1 per cent) of civil divorces in 2016, while couples married for nine years or fewer accounted for more than half (55.3 per cent) of Muslim divorces.

The report, now in its 33rd edition, cited the top two reasons behind civil divorces: Unreasonable behaviour and having lived apart or separated for at least three years. On the other hand, infidelity or an extra-marital affair was the top cause for break-ups among Muslim marriages last year.

Statistics showed that over the past decade, a higher number of older couples are getting divorced. The proportion of male divorcees aged 45 years and above grew from 31.4 per cent in 2006 to 42.3 per cent in 2016. For female divorcees, the pool rose from 20 per cent to 28.4 per cent over the same period.

Due to this, the median age at divorce also rose in the last decade to 42.8 years for men and 38.5 years for women. In 2006, the median age at divorce stood at 39.6 years for men and 35.7 years for women.

In a Facebook post following the report’s release, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin noted that “marriage is a significant milestone for many, and it is important to build a strong foundation”.

He urged those planning to get married and newly-weds to attend a marriage preparation programme to help them begin their new life “on a strong footing”.

For example, the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Programme (PREP), introduced by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, provides couples with guidance on how to improve communication and develop better conflict resolution skills.

“Despite the efforts of those involved, not all marriages last forever. In the event of divorce, the Divorce Support Specialist Agencies help divorcing and divorced families in a manner that places the child at the centre,” Mr Tan said in his post.

Looking at the latest statistics, Professor Paulin Straughan, a sociologist at the Singapore Management University, pointed out that some couples could be delaying marriage to pursue other aspirations, such as furthering their education.

Others may not be able to find the right partner because they do not date often.

These individuals, she added, need to strike a good work-life balance and be more proactive in their dating life.

As for divorces, one reason why they are inching up could be that some couples are not trying hard enough to sustain their relationship, said Prof Straughan.

Instead, they focus more of their energy on other aspects, such as career advancement or the needs of their children, that they forget to set aside “couple time”.