Singapore sees higher marriage dissolution rates

Singapore's marriage dissolution has been on the rise, especially among "younger grooms" who were aged between 20 and 24 years old, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Monday.
In a recent study on the stability of resident marriages across different marriage cohorts from 1987 to 2012, MSF found that marriage dissolution rates have increased compared to those in the past.
Among those who married in 2003, 16.1 percent had their marriage dissolved by the 10th year of marriage compared to 8.7 percent for the 1987 cohort. And by the 15th year of marriage, 20. 3 percent of the 1998 cohort had their marriage dissolved compared to 12.3 percent of the 1987 cohort.
And the proportion is especially high among "younger grooms" who were aged between 20 and 24 years old.
The study showed that divorce rates for younger grooms in civil marriages are twice as high compared to those aged 25 years and older. About 33.0 percent of marriages involving younger grooms who married in 1998 ended in divorce before their 15th anniversary. Divorce rates for younger grooms in Muslim marriages were 1.5 times higher compared to older grooms. And 39.1 percent of Muslim marriages involving younger grooms who married in 1998 ended in divorce by the 15th anniversary.
Despite the rise among younger grooms, the study also found that recent Muslim divorce rates before the 5th year of marriage has decreased from 14.0 percent for the 2003 marriage cohorts to 11.4 percent for the 2008 marriage cohort.
MSF attributed the improvement to community initiatives in marriage preparation, enrichment and counselling for Muslim couples. Statistics showed that since the Marriage Counselling Programme for Muslim marriages began in 2004, 44 percent of couples in the programme decided not to proceed with divorce.
In response to the above trend, MSF has decided to roll out a new marriage preparation program, the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Programme, from May this year.
This 12-hour programme features qualified and trained Family Life Educators delivering the lessons to new couples. This 12-hour workshop will be carried out over a two-day session, covering a total of 12 topics including communication, conflict management, commitment and problem-solving.