Marriage, motherhood, and young women: a study on the attitudes and perceptions of marriage and childbearing in Singapore

• Main Authors: Ang, Wen Xin, Leong, Jacqueline Jia Hui, Teo, Neena Ying Rong
• Other Authors: Nurul Amillin Hussain
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168527
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The problems of delayed marriages and low birth rates have consistently plagued Singapore. The median age of marriage has reached record highs and on the other end, fertility rates reached its lowest. Although sociologists have thoroughly studied the aforementioned issues, extant literature on individualisation and shifting cultural norms on marriage and childbearing remains sparse. To address these gaps, 12 qualitative interviews were conducted with young unmarried women to better understand their attitudes and perceptions towards marriage and parenthood. Adopting Elder’s life course perspective and Beck and Beck-Gernsheim’s individualisation concept as our theoretical framework, the findings reveal that marriage and childbearing remain as important life events to respondents and are simultaneously influenced by evolving social norms and financial considerations.