Divorce rate at a 10-year high, fewer getting married

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Reporter

Jul 19, 2017 06:00 am

Last year was not the best for love in Singapore, with fewer people getting married and divorce at a 10-year high, statistics on marriages and divorces for 2016 show.

Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said on Facebook: "My ministry will continue its core work of strengthening and supporting marriages, as they are the basis of families and our society."

Mr Simon Neo, marriage counsellor at The Psychotherapy Clinic, was not surprised by the drop in marriages.

"Nowadays there are so many open relationships... Commitment is a big issue," he said.

As for the increase in divorces, he said: "Couples these days don't know how to articulate expectations of each other. It comes out in defensiveness and contempt, and they are too busy fighting. The hectic schedule here contributes to it too."

Mr Neo also said that people are more open to inter-ethnic marriages now "because they want to go for what they feel is really good for them".