Not yet married: The implications of meanings of marriage on youths in Singapore

• Main Author: STRAUGHAN, Paulin T.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2011
• Subjects: marriage; ideology; spouse selection; social transformation; Singapore; Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2179; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3436/viewcontent/not_yet_married___the_implications_of_meanings_of_marriage_on_youths_in_singapore.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Marriage is a social construct that takes on different meanings as societies develop and mature. To understand why people get married, it is important that we understand what marriage means. This paper will discuss the social transformation of marriage in Asia using Singapore as a case study. To examine two demographic trends- delayed marriage, and the increasing proportion of people who remain single - this discourse also explores the constraints imposed by contradictions between traditional norms and modern expectations. In the midst of these ideological challenges, there are important implications for the practice of marriage among younger Singaporeans. We see that while the institution of marriage continues to be held in high esteem, changing expectations of what marriage should be poses barriers for time-strapped young adults in their search for the ideal spouse.