Hard times take toll on couples tying the knot

Romance may not be dead, but marriage has taken a battering over the past decade with couples scared off as much by financial, as emotional, commitment. And the trend, combined with a fall in the number of people of marrying age, could worsen the SAR's problem of an ageing population.

According to the Immigration Department, 17,903 couples tied the knot in the first eight months of this year, almost 40 per cent fewer than the 28,829 who did in the same period in 1990.

There were 47,168 marriages in 1990, marking the highest annual number of marriages in the decade. The sharpest fall was recorded in 1998 when there were 31,673 marriages, 16 per cent lower than 37,593 in 1997. A total of 31,287 couples married last year.

Fung shui expert Au Chung-tak said 1990 was a good year for marriage, explaining the high numbers that year. But, fewer people had sought help on the choice of marriage dates in recent years.

'The emigration trend in the pre-handover period and the financial crisis affected the number of people who wanted to get married,' Mr Au said.

'Many people want to buy a flat before they get married. Fewer people could do this after the financial crisis.'

Dr Day Wong Kit-mui of Polytechnic University's general education centre, said pragmatism was a Hong Kong characteristic. 'Hong Kong people are relatively unromantic. Getting married is pegged to buying a flat. You can't say if it's good or bad.