Marriage perception : through the lens of well-educated women in Singapore

Abstract

The trend of delayed marriage and rising singlehood among well-educated women are often associated with Singapore’s declining birth rate. As the economy relies heavily on human capital, the rise in such trends threatens the future of the country. Using the intersections of symbolic interactionism, rational choice theory and feminist theory, this paper serves to identify and understand how prominent institutions have influenced the construction of singlehood and marriage perception among well-educated women. By using a qualitative approach, interviews with well-educated women reveal three key findings – (1) how experience of singlehood is influenced by the pertinence of couple culture, (2) the prominence of guided marriage, particularly among the Indian community, and (3) persistence of income and educational hypergamy. These findings show how women’s understanding of singlehood and marriage do not stand isolated from external forces like family, friends, education and economy.