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census of population 2010
Number of single Singaporeans on the rise
And those who have tied the knot are having fewer children
By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent
THEY are footloose and fancy-free - and their numbers are growing.
To be exact, one in three residents - or one million of those who call Singapore home - is single. In percentage terms, the figure has gone up from 30 per cent a decade ago to 32 per cent today.
Also in a seemingly unstoppable trend bucking the Government's efforts to get Singaporeans to procreate, even those who have tied the knot are having fewer children.
One in five women in their 30s who have ever been married is childless. That is 20 per cent, up from 14 per cent in 2000.
One of them is teacher M. Choo, 32, whose attitude towards having children is expressed thus: 'Kids? It's not a priority. We will see how it goes.'
The same trend goes for older, ever-married women in their 40s. The percentage of those who are childless has risen from 6.4 per cent to 9.3 per cent.
Among women in their 40s who have married, university graduates have the fewest children, an average of 1.74 children, against 2.21 children for those with below secondary qualifications.
The Chinese tend to have the smallest families, the Malays the largest, and the Indians are in between.
The latest census data comes in the midst of Singapore's plummeting total fertility rate, which fell to a historic low of 1.22 last year, despite government policies ranging from longer maternity leave to cash bonuses.
As for those who have not married, if he is a man, he is likely to have below secondary qualifications.
Among men aged 40 to 44, 24.1 per cent of those with below secondary qualifications are single, compared with 12.9 per cent for graduate men.
If she is a woman, the converse is true.
Among women aged 40 to 44, 23.5 per cent of graduates are single, compared with 10.8 per cent for those with below secondary qualifications.
Among all ethnic groups, the Chinese have the highest proportion of singles.
For instance, 17.5 per cent of Chinese women aged 40 to 44 are single - more than double the 8.2 per cent among Malay women.
Of the perennial mismatch between lower-educated men and better-educated women who are single, sociologist and Nominated MP Paulin Straughan noted that Singapore continues to be governed by 'strong notions of patriarchy that say that men should be the leader'.
However, she sees a glimmer of hope.
'Moving forward, I don't think we will be stuck in this situation forever.'
The reason is that Singapore society has levelled up in terms of education.
'For the next generation of younger male Singaporeans, they will be able to achieve at least secondary education,' she said.
[email protected]
Number of single Singaporeans on the rise
And those who have tied the knot are having fewer children
By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent
THEY are footloose and fancy-free - and their numbers are growing.
To be exact, one in three residents - or one million of those who call Singapore home - is single. In percentage terms, the figure has gone up from 30 per cent a decade ago to 32 per cent today.
Also in a seemingly unstoppable trend bucking the Government's efforts to get Singaporeans to procreate, even those who have tied the knot are having fewer children.
One in five women in their 30s who have ever been married is childless. That is 20 per cent, up from 14 per cent in 2000.
One of them is teacher M. Choo, 32, whose attitude towards having children is expressed thus: 'Kids? It's not a priority. We will see how it goes.'
The same trend goes for older, ever-married women in their 40s. The percentage of those who are childless has risen from 6.4 per cent to 9.3 per cent.
Among women in their 40s who have married, university graduates have the fewest children, an average of 1.74 children, against 2.21 children for those with below secondary qualifications.
The Chinese tend to have the smallest families, the Malays the largest, and the Indians are in between.
The latest census data comes in the midst of Singapore's plummeting total fertility rate, which fell to a historic low of 1.22 last year, despite government policies ranging from longer maternity leave to cash bonuses.
As for those who have not married, if he is a man, he is likely to have below secondary qualifications.
Among men aged 40 to 44, 24.1 per cent of those with below secondary qualifications are single, compared with 12.9 per cent for graduate men.
If she is a woman, the converse is true.
Among women aged 40 to 44, 23.5 per cent of graduates are single, compared with 10.8 per cent for those with below secondary qualifications.
Among all ethnic groups, the Chinese have the highest proportion of singles.
For instance, 17.5 per cent of Chinese women aged 40 to 44 are single - more than double the 8.2 per cent among Malay women.
Of the perennial mismatch between lower-educated men and better-educated women who are single, sociologist and Nominated MP Paulin Straughan noted that Singapore continues to be governed by 'strong notions of patriarchy that say that men should be the leader'.
However, she sees a glimmer of hope.
'Moving forward, I don't think we will be stuck in this situation forever.'
The reason is that Singapore society has levelled up in terms of education.
'For the next generation of younger male Singaporeans, they will be able to achieve at least secondary education,' she said.
[email protected]
