SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old man took to social media to ask Singaporeans about their thoughts on marriage.
In his post on r/askSingapore on Saturday (April 13), he said, “Besides the fact that things here are expensive, I’ve come from a divorced family, never been in a relationship before. I still wonder if getting married is one of my goals now… is it worth going through it? Or should I just stay single forever…”
In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors corrected the man and said marriage is “not a goal” but a natural progression in a relationship based on genuine connection, care, and mutual support.
According to them, marriage symbolizes a stage where partners come together as a unified team to navigate life’s challenges.
Furthermore, some also thought that his past experiences with his parents might have shaped how he sees marriage, especially in terms of whether it’s worth it or not.
They mentioned that this kind of thinking could hurt his future relationships because of trust issues.
One Redditor even recommended therapy to the man before getting into serious relationships, saying that there’s a risk of falling into a cycle of relationship breakdowns if underlying issues aren’t addressed beforehand.
One individual said, “With your mindset, best to stay single. Nothing wrong with it though, just have to work harder to get your future house or unless you plan to inherit your parent’s hdb.
Most only put effort at the start/before marriage but stop once married/have kids. Have to be consistent imo.”
Another commented, “Marriage is a legal contract heavily influenced by culture. You don’t have to marry someone you love, but it’s a social norm to do so. In SG, that piece of paper also entitles couples to access to housing.
To most, it’s worthwhile, prolly because of the access to housing. Alternative, would be either smaller apartment and buying only at 35 yo, to rent or stay with parents.”
A third Redditor said that marriage “is worth it” because a lot of his internal motivation to do well in life comes from wanting to provide for his wife and future kids.
He added, “I am same age as you, 26 years old Male…
My salary went up more than 2 times because every night I ask myself “where am I going to get the money to buy the house 5 years ago, with reno and furnishings, and then at the same time paying for my own MBA?”
I need $150-200k in cash, and sticking at my old job only allows me to save $1-1.5k a month in case, which is pretty damn bad. So yeah, getting a wife increases your life’s difficulty and fatigue, but it also increases the ceiling you are able to hit.”
Read also: Man says he finally saved up S$100K by 30, but soon will ‘deplete’ it because of marriage