Divorce rates in Singapore are rising. According to the 2009 State of the Family Singapore Report, The total number of divorces in our city-state rose from 4,888 in 1997 to 7,226 in 2007.
Divorces for both Civil and Muslim marriages have also increased. For Civil marriages, there was an increase of nearly 2,000 divorces annually this last decade.
For Muslim marriages, divorces in 1997 were 1,212, rising to 1,746 in 2007.
Younger married persons in the age group of 20 – 24 years registered the highest divorce rate in 2008. The divorce rate in this age group reflected the highest increase over the past decade.
In 2007, slightly more than half of the divorces lasted less than 10 years, with about one third of the divorces occurring within 5 – 9 years of marriage.
“The numbers are alarming but not surprising. With the increasing pressures and demands brought about by globalisation, it is no wonder that families in Singapore are facing greater challenges in staying resilient,” says Catherine Lau, 32, a single mum of two kids.
Another unsurprised reader was Krisselie Tarlac, 23, married. She commented, “Nowadays people are rushing to get married.” She advices couple to take some to get to know each other. She also attributes the increase in divorce due to money pressures. “People are getting more money-minded and that could cause a strain and lead to nasty fights,” she shares.
Our reader, Shweta Churiwala, 22 feels that one way of reducing divorce would be living in nuclear families as the young couples of today need their own private space. She also thinks couples need to have open communication in every aspect of their life, including their sex life.
Do these statistics worry you? Are people too flippant about marriage? What can we do to ensure that the Family remains as a strong anchor in our ever changing environment?