Singapore girl

read a good article from the Malaysian paper, The Star: "Singapore Girl losing out in love" by Seah Chiang Nee, 5 Dec 04. It's interesting to see ourselves from another perspective from across the causeway.

The article highlighted recent coverage on Singapore media about the trends of male blue collar workers in Singapore who can't find wives and the other end of the spectrum with highly qualified Singapore women who find it difficult to marry upwards.

The Star report also pointed to the increasing number of Singaporean men who are seeking their brides in Vietnam, China, Kalimantan and other regional countries.

I saw the episode on "Get Real" mentioned in this article. strangely, most of the men interviewed said "No" when asked if Singaporean women are hard to love. it was mainly the women who answered "Yes!" very interesting...

Most of the debate ended up with each gender blaming each other. gals saying guys too stoned, too square, unromantic. guys blaming the gals for being too demanding, lacking understanding etc.

I think it is a clear sign that Singapore society is highly strung and stressful. too much pressure is piled on the shoulders of both men and women...

well, this is no an "Uniquely Singapore" problem. just look at "Sex in the City" (until recently not available on Singapore cable TV) or "Bridget Jone's Diary"...

earlier I emailed this article to my friends. Here's the response from one of them to give the ladies' perspective:
"Basically, the way I see it - very simple: women nowadays have more options. The better educated you are, the more options (and money) you have. Pleasing men by being docile and gentle is no longer our top priority. But this doesn't mean that we are career-minded and not interested in setting up families. It just means that there will now have to be more negotiations, accommodations and compromises in a relationship. Yes, we have indeed become more demanding in a relationship - both sides would have to work harder to keep the relationship going. There are many more issues to be discussed and negotiated between couples. The question is whether the men could rise to this challenge."