The “Flight From Marriage” in South-East and East Asia

Abstract

Over recent decades, a traditional characteristic of South-East and East Asia - the universality of marriage - has ended. The change has been dramatic and widespread, though variable across regions and socio-economic groups. The proportion of women remaining single in their 30s and 40s has climbed sharply, especially in the large cities and among the better educated. The proportion single among men has also risen, though the patterns have not paralleled those of women. A key consideration is whether the continuing rise in proportions remaining single is largely compositional -i.e. reflecting increasing proportions reaching higher levels of education and residing in urban areas - or whether the rise is continuing when such changes are controlled for. The paper assesses factors that may account for the change in marriage patterns, including reasons why it has proceeded much further in some countries than in others. Finally, some implications of the increase in non-marriage are discussed.