According to Prof Dr Harlina Halizah Siraj, the chairman of the Social Development Committee of IKRAM, women only populate two states in the entire country – Perlis and the Federal Territory. The latest statistics from the Social Development Committee of IKRAM show that there are more men in Malaysia than there are women, with a ratio of 106:100.
Dr Harlina recently presented a paper titled “Financial Constraints and the Phenomenon of Delayed Marriage Among Muslims in Malaysia”, and noted that 2.5 million Malaysians aged 25 years and above marry late for the following reasons – financial issues, the lack of a suitable candidate, career advancements, a comfortable single life and commitment to family.
The lecturer in the Medical Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia also expressed her disappointment on the high cost for a wedding ceremony as a reason behind why Muslim youths marry at a later age.
The average cost for a wedding that includes catering services ( food preparation) , bridal and photography is around RM25,500.
“In fact, there are sites that categorize shopping portals marriage to three of RM11, 000 for a low cost , RM20 ,800 for medium cost and RM50, 000 for the high cost ,”she said.
According to Dr Harlina, the phenomenon of delayed marriage can cause a decline in the fertility rate among married couples as the fertility peak takes place when you’re 25 years of age, and decreases gradually.
As a solution , Dr. Harlina suggests implemented campaigns to encourage teenagers to get married as the word of God in verse 32 Surah An- Nur . Parents, too, she added should serve to help children to continuous marriage (such as reducing the cost of a marriage) as well as financial incentives given to a young couple who marry for the first time under government and Islamic institutions . [Source]
