Assortative mating
Feeling a bit uncomfortable when I read this on The Straits Times.
On a lighter note, the Minister Mentor touched on what he calls assortative mating, that is, finding a spouse at your level – something he strongly believes in.
He said: “I have explained this. I think I lost votes after I explained the awful truth. Nobody believed it, but slowly it dawned on them, especially the graduates, that yes, you marry a non-graduate, then you worry about whether or not your son or daughter is going to make it to the university.
With all respect Sir, I strongly disagree with you. Take my family for example. My dad stop schooling at Primary 6 while my Mum stop schooling at Secondary 4. Yet my 2 elder Sisters were both graduates from local University while I’m about to finish my degree.
Whether a person can make it to University or not has nothing to do with their parent’s qualification. It’s the upbringing. And this has nothing to do with qualifications. A poorly educated person can also pass the correct values to his/her child and send them to University. A highly educated person might not necessary has the skill to pass the correct values to his/her child and send them to University.
I feel that this statement is groundless and irresponsible. Has anyone conducted a study on this? Did anyone survey the fresh graduates on their parent’s education level? There isn’t any studies that support this assortative mating theory.
The government is worried about the increasing number of Singaporeans not getting married. This statement from MM Lee is making the situation worse. If everyone were to listen to this assortative mating theory, then those who didn’t get a degree can forget about getting married. And this will add on to the declining birth rate.
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