Increasing numbers of Singaporean men opt for foreign wives

Oct 1, 2006, 6:11 GMT

Singapore - Increasingly numbers of Singaporean men are marrying foreign women who are viewed as more demure and accommodating, a published report said on Sunday.

Malaysians currently form the bulk of the foreign brides, but Vietnamese and Chinese nationals are gaining ground.

Men queried by The Sunday Times said they want a woman who will put the family and husband first, instead of demanding condominiums, cars and credit cards.

Figures from the Department of Statistics showed 6,520 Singaporean males and permanent residents married foreign women last year, the highest number in 10 years and up from 5,210 in 2004.

One in every four men in the city-state who got married in 2005 wed a foreigner.

At least 30 foreign-bride agencies are operating in Singapore, and men from the city-state are travelling overseas more often. The internet has also enabled singles to meet online wherever they live.

Matchmaking agencies traditionally catered to men with lower academic credentials, but now they are seeing more and more diploma and degree holders.

CH Yeo, a 42-year-old interior designer with a bachelor's degree, told the newspaper his plump, 1.5-metre frame put him at a distinct disadvantage among looks-conscious Singaporean women.

He tied the knot last December with a 23-year-old Vietnamese woman who used to run a kiosk selling sugar cane in her native land.

Agencies said they mainly attract men in their 30s and 40s who are looking for women in their 20s.

Few Singaporean women would want to live 'with my parents and two sisters in our four-room flat,' said See Chee Hong, a 35-year-old chef.

He also married a Vietnamese woman, who was 22.

Fewer Singaporean women than men marry foreigners, but sociologists believe the number is likely to increase.

'If more of them are going overseas for education and work, and if we open our doors to foreign talent, the chances of the women who are single and young finding a foreign mate are significant,' Paulin Straughan was quoted as saying.

Last year 1,596 local women married foreign men, up from 1,134 the year earlier.