Netizen asks if Singaporeans are unhappy with being single ‘because of societal pressure’

SINGAPORE — When a local Redditor recently asked if Singaporeans are, as a general rule, okay with being single, quite a number of commenters obliged with answers.

“Based on the numerous threads here, it seems like there is a strong yearning to find a partner, regardless if the person matches the personality,” wrote u/Familiar-Mouse4490 on the askSingapore community on Sunday (Jan 8).

The post owner added, “Don’t people usually say, ‘if you can’t even want to date yourself, you shouldn’t be dating?’ Do you feel its just the societal pressure that urges people to want to find a partner here, which makes them unhappy Singles?”

Familiar-Mouse4490 ended the post by writing that they understand this is a “natural response and reason if you see people around you getting married.”

However, they also asked, “but what about finding joy in themselves?”

A number of netizens who answered the question pointed out that happy singles aren’t always online or vocal about their joys in being single.

One wrote “there are thousands of singles in SG (actually the proportion is quite high the last time i looked) and there are only hundreds, maybe dozens, of posts” on Reddit, adding that “The ones who are single and are content with that status don’t post to tell everyone they are happy being single, they just keep to themselves.”

“Happy singles aren’t gonna randomly post about how happy they are, would be weird if they did,” another Reddit user wrote.

This was echoed by one happy single.

“Just because ‘there is a strong yearning to find a partner’, it doesn’t mean singles are necessarily miserable. There are many amongst us living our lives just fine,” another wrote.

“Happily attached people are busy being happily attached, people tend to share more about the things they’re sad about,” chimed in one Reddit user.

One opined that, in many cases, it’s a matter of “the grass is always greener” for both single and married people and that married people have their own problems too.

A commenter wrote, “I do believe that the national narrative is that you have to be married or be considered a failure. Specially considering the policies regarding housing. To me, an outsider, Sg feels like a place where you’re only supposed to live life with only one-approved-scripted-life and I find it that pretty stupid. I’m not saying those that follow the scripted life are wrong, cool for them, I’m saying that looking down to other lifestyles seems inappropriate.”

/TISG

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