ABSTRACT
The past two decades have seen some dramatic changes to patterns of marriage, divorce, singlehood, sex and intimacy in contemporary Asia. Perhaps most dramatic is the pattern of non-marriage or ‘singlehood’ for women in many of the global cities in Asia. The increase in patterns of non-marriage is even more dramatic than in the West, notwithstanding the sharp decline in marriage in Western countries over the same time period. While there are specific socio-cultural factors operating in different countries of the region, there is little doubt that postmodernist values have ramified alongside globalization through contemporary Asia (with some exceptions e.g. China). This has had an impact on marriage, divorce and fertility patterns in a number of ways including: the emphasis on individualism, self-fulfillment and the democratization of relationships; the replacement of religious beliefs with secular and material values; and a decline in respect for all forms of institutional authority. Demographic patterns in Asia, particularly East and Southeast Asia have
similarities with changes taking place in the West but the profile is more specific to socio-economic, cultural and religious contexts within different parts of the region. Key trends can be seen in the following patterns: in the demise of universal marriage in contemporary Asia, particularly in East and Southeast Asia, most notably in the pattern of delayed and non-marriage; in the increase in cohabitation, which while less prevalent than in the West, is still increasing; in the increase in divorce rates in all the global cities in Asia (except Islamic Southeast Asia); in the dramatic decline in patterns of fertility in much of the region. There are also more specific aspects of such changes which emerge from
patterns of polygamy which have existed in countries such as Malaysia, and in the taking of a ‘second wife’ or ‘recognized lover’, where attempts at producing a son have been unsuccessful, for example in Vietnam. In fact, prior to the introduction of a hierarchical and patrilineal Confucianist structure, Vietnam had a matriarchal society. The influence of Confucianism with its inherent patriarchalism led to the demise and eradication of the ‘indigenous’ Vietnamese matriarchalism.
