For some couples, longevity speaks louder than statistics.
Artist Indriana Irawan, 42, and software engineer Abdillah Mohd, 45, who married in their early 20s in 2007, celebrated their 18th anniversary this June.
Ms Indriana recalled joking with her husband about divorce statistics back then: “Our odds were one in two. So every anniversary is, like, ‘Hey, we made another year’. And we are so grateful that we’ve made it this far.”
Her advice to young couples: Don’t overcommit financially or feel pressured to achieve the trifecta of a perfect wedding, a new home and a lavish renovation all at once.
After marrying, she and her husband waited two years before buying a home and another eight years before renovating it.
On a broader scale, while marrying young has worked out for some people, sociologists said that a wider shift towards earlier marriages in Singapore remains unlikely in the near future.
Dr Ang from NTU pointed to Singapore’s system of “excessively rewarding precocity”, where early achievements in school or work bring “outsized” advantages in scholarships, salaries and career progression.
This encourages young people to focus on their education and careers first, he said, while delaying commitments such as marriage or parenthood.
In a system where economic rewards are the chief concern, it is “probably the correct choice to delay any kind of commitment – marriage, parenthood – that may tie you down”, he added.
“Unless society can reassure people that they will not get left behind in the dust if they rest for a moment to pursue other things such as family, it is likely that trends towards later marriage and parenthood will continue unabated.”
Dr Tan from IPS said that as fewer couples marry young, society has fewer models of successful early unions, making others less confident to take the plunge.
Even so, those who chose this path said they would do it again.
“We’re not saying everyone should marry young. It’s a decision that needs to be made with clarity,” Mrs Lee the home baker said. “For Natthan and me, it felt like we were made for each other and couldn’t imagine life any other way.
“If you don’t feel that same certainty, there’s no need to rush.”
