MORE married couples are choosing to live near, or with, their parents within HDB estates, a recent HDB survey has found.
The proportion of married couples who live near, or with, their parents increased from 29.3 per cent in 1998 to 35.5 per cent in 2008.
The survey results, released yesterday, reflected an increasing number of married couples choosing to either live in or near the same flat, block or estate as their parents'.
Last year, 90.7 per cent of married couples said that they visited their parents at least once a month, up from 87.8 per cent in 1998.
The HDB concluded that these results, among others, showed that family ties in HDB estates are strong.
Married couples could be choosing to live near or with their parents because they need social support from their parents, such as to take care of their children, said Associate Professor Paulin Straughan of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) sociology department.
Prof Straughan, who is also a Nominated Member of Parliament, noted that the "ideal care-givers" in most couples' minds are the grandparents.
Agreeing, Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, also of the NUS sociology department, said that a couple might rope in their parents to supervise their domestic help, or might have an arrangement to dine with their parents regularly.
More married couples could also be opting for such living arrangements because they have a higher chance of balloting successfully for an HDB flat by doing so, Prof Straughan said.
This scheme, known as the Married Child Priority Scheme, was implemented in 2002, and applicants have twice the likelihood of getting their desired homes.
Prof Tan reckoned that "today's married couples were likely to have been raised by middle-class parents who emphasised love, rather than obligation", so they probably have stronger emotional ties with their parents, as compared to a few generations ago.
Prof Straughan concurred, citing "a new definition of filial piety" infiltrating the mindsets of the younger generation in Singapore these days.
"Young couples have contemporary ideals of marriage and family formation. They want to have a family to call their own without sacrificing the connection with their parents."
However, the number of married couples choosing to live directly next door to their parents has dropped by 50 per cent from 1998 to 2008.
Prof Straughan noted that this drop could be chalked up to couples' need for privacy.
"The overarching philosophy that drives this ideal is to maintain close family ties but also enjoy the privacy of living in their own home," she said.
Newlywed Evon Liang, 27, has been looking for a house near her husband's parents' home. She said: "We want to be able to see them as often as possible.
Also, if they need our help for anything, we can easily drop by."
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