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TAIPEI : Fewer marriages, fewer babies and many more singles - Taiwan is facing the baby blues as more young people are opting to stay single.
They're single, attractive, and looking for love through social gatherings like these, but marriage is still a long way
Where love is concerned, 28-year-old Jody and her friends sing a very different tune from their parents' generation.
"I enjoy singlehood, I'm in no rush. But you still have to find opportunities (for love)," said Jody Cheng, an executive secretary.
"After marriage I have to be more attentive to my husband. And if I have kids, I won't have time to do things that I like doing," said product manager Gloria Hsu.
Taiwanese men too are in no real hurry but their reasons are far more practical.
Said Chang Guo deng, a doctorate student: "Property is so expensive. I can't even support myself, not to mention children. But men have an advantage, when I'm 40 years old, I can still find a 20-year- old woman. And maybe my finances are more stable by then."
Taiwanese youth have also become increasingly nonchalant about marriage.
Almost a third of people in their 20s and 30s say they would rather remain single for the rest of their lives, according to a government survey.
But this isn't to say people aren't looking for love.
In fact, the reverse is true. Matchmaking agencies have seen a growing number of competitors all looking to cash in on the love bug.
Modern matchmaking has taken off in a big way in Taiwan, with mass gatherings for potential lovers.
Speed dating has caught on quickly in Taiwan while online dating services have played cupid to thousands of young Taiwanese.
There are now even special rings for singles who want to show off that they are available and seeking a partner.
Despite all this, marriage rates have still taken a nosedive.
Experts blame Western influences and individualism, but in Taiwan the problem is compounded by traditional values.
Chin-Chun Yi, a sociologist at Academia Sinica explained: "Young Taiwanese females were socialised in a traditional Chinese cultural atmosphere so they know that if they get married, they are not going to have egalitarian relations at home. This will probably make marriage less appealing."
Taiwanese couples now have one of the lowest birth rates in the world. Fertility rate has plunged with the average woman having only 1.2 children, down from 2.5 in the 1980s.
And the government is desperately urging the young not only to pair up but to procreate.
It is even prepared to increase cash subsidies for babies.
But for Jody and her friends, being free and single is certainly not something you can attach a price tag to.
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