Singlepore: Study shows half of single Singaporeans aren’t dating, 38% have never dated

The recently released 2021 Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) Survey has some interesting revelations. 

Although a great majority of the singles—80 per cent—who participated in the survey said they plan on getting married, half of them are not currently dating.

Moreover, nearly two-fifths of the single respondents, or 38 per cent, said they have never dated before.

The survey’s results, released on Monday (Oct 10), were carried out by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD), which is under the Prime Minister’s Office. It was conducted from February to June last year, with 2,848 single (never-married) and 3,017 married Singapore residents, aged 21 to 45 years old, respondents.

The survey’s said that the cost of raising children, and commitments to family and work, are important considerations in making parenthood decisions.

Significantly, 99 per cent of married respondents said that mothers and fathers are equally important in child-rearing. Almost as many—95 per cent—said that both father and mother should equally share responsibilities at home.

But the realities do not quite reflect this ideal yet, with mothers doing more than fathers, especially in terms of childcare.

The survey showed that while men spend an average of 3.6 hours on weekdays and 7.7 hours on weekends on their children, women are spending around 6 hours per weekday on childcare, and 10 hours on weekends.

Moreover, this year’s survey shows that in comparison with 72 per cent of men who say they’re happy with the division of labour at home, only 59 per cent of the female respondents reacted this way.

Another key finding from the study is the importance of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to parents, particularly for those with children up to age 6. Most of the respondents said that this type of work arrangement smooths the way for them to start a family and have more kids.

Importantly, 92 per cent of the married respondents said they were more likely to work in companies that offer FWAs.

Among singles, the respondents who are not dating at the moment said that the following are the reasons they aren’t doing so: having a limited social circle (58 per cent), not having many opportunities to meet potential partners (57 per cent), and their preference to leave dating to chance (48 per cent).

But dating apps and websites may provide a ray of hope in the dating scene. 

Twenty-nine per cent of single respondents who are currently dating said that they met their partner online, which is a big jump from 2016 (13 per cent) and 2012 (7 per cent).

Comfort in meeting a partner via online means has also grown and is now at 58 per cent, in contrast to 43 per cent in 2016, and 19 per cent in 2012.

But singles said they prefer meeting partners through more organic and face-to-face settings, with 90 per cent indicating meeting them through social or recreational activities, 88 per cent saying they want to meet through friends, and 82 per cent saying they’d like to meet potential partners through introductions from their colleagues. /TISG

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