In Malaysia, marriage is still an important and strong institution as most people still believe in the concept of marriage. (7 in 10 people disagree that marriage is an outdated situation, highlighting that the concept of marriage among our society is still relevant). Most single people in the country have positive attitude towards marriage and would like to be married off in the future. (In 2014, over 80% of non-married population do have the desire to get married, especially men).
However, despite a strong desire and positive perception towards marriage, there has been an increased prevalence of delayed marriage as Malaysian are opting to marry later in life.
The singulate mean age at first marriage for both male and female has increased over the decades and likely to continue. (The SMAM among Malaysian women has increased by 4.1 years from 22.1 years in 1970 to 26.2 years in 2014, while the SMAM among Malaysian men has increased by 3.7 years from 25.6 years in 1970 to 29.3 years in 2014).
Malaysians’ Desire and Concept of Marriage
Sources: (1) MPFS-5; (2) Population survey conducted under this study (2017), n=3,044; (3) World Marriage Data 2012, United Nations
Financial problem is one of the key reasons why the single population is unmarried, and this is more prominent among men. (More than half of the non-married male indicated financial problem as the main reason for being unmarried compared to about a quarter of non-married female).
Financial constraints, particularly due to increased cost of living such as childcare, education, housing and healthcare have a substantial impact on families and hence, pose as barriers for single people to marry and start a family earlier.
(The average cost of wedding which can be afforded by Malaysian singles is about RM14,000, which is approximately 70% of the average cost of wedding needed).
Meanwhile, most of the single women are unmarried due to absence of suitable candidate. This could be driven by shifting values and expectations among single women as they are getting increasingly qualified, economically independent and self-sufficient compared to men. More women than men in Malaysia are graduating from institutions of higher learning and obtaining higher qualifications. (In 2015, almost 60% of the graduates from higher education institutions are women, in which more than half of the graduates in diploma, bachelor and master is women, while men account for more than half of the graduates for PhD). As such, increased educational attainment and economic independence cause women to increase their expectations in their quest for a marriage partner, especially in terms of greater equality and shared responsibilities in marital relationships.
Reasons for Staying Unmarried
Sources: MPFS-5
Malaysians are likely to get married earlier if there are marriage or family incentives implemented by the government
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the government should introduce initiatives to help people get married and start a family EARLIER? For example, marriage incentives, family incentives, etc.
Source: Population survey conducted under this study (2017), Q. B9
Base: All Respondent 3,044
