Attitudes towards Family Formation Among Young Adults in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

This study examines young adults’ attitudes towards marriage and family formation in Bruneian society. Questionnaires were distributed to a group of undergraduate students aged 17-31. Findings show that the majority of young adults in the study expected to be married within an ideal age range of 25-29, a period in their lives when they also ideally want to have their first child. However, respondents overwhelmingly agree that marriage should take place after graduating from university, and more importantly, after finding a stable job. This signifies not only an idealisation of a sequence of life course events that diverges from the traditional Bruneian Malay Muslim cultural narrative(in terms of timing of marriage and family formation), but also suggests increasingly heterogeneous life course pathways that might not be as predictable, given the challenges in securing a job (or a spouse), after graduation. This study, thus, sheds light on the transition to adulthood among Bruneians, and offers a glimpse of the motivations behind increasing ages at first marriage, increasing proportions of female singlehood, and apparent desires for smaller families that characterise the Bruneian population today.