Thursday, November 15, 2007

More S'pore couples divorcing earlier - nov11

More S'pore couples divorcing earlier
But despite more calling it quits, local rates still relatively low
By Lee Hui Chieh
NOT only are more marriages here ending in divorce, more married couples are calling it quits sooner too.
But Singapore still has one of the lowest divorce rates compared with Hong Kong, Japan and Britain.

The latest Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) figures showed that 3.8 per cent of couples who were hitched in 2002 divorced after being married for fewer than five years. This is a slight increase compared with 1987, when 2.6 per cent of couples married that year dissolved their union before five years.

As for marriages that did not make it past 15 years, the figure was 12 per cent for those who walked down the aisle in 1992. It was 10 per cent for the 1987 cohort.

Revealing the figures yesterday, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon noted: 'Our generation has more divorces than our parents' generation.'

The absolute numbers also showed an uptrend. Divorces and annulments hit a record high last year of 7,061, up from 6,909 in 2005.

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