{"id":44467,"date":"2022-09-12T21:47:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T13:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.singaporedivorcelawyer.com.sg\/?p=44467"},"modified":"2025-06-21T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T04:40:12","slug":"demystifying-the-common-misconceptions-of-the-womens-charter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.singaporedivorcelawyer.com.sg\/demystifying-the-common-misconceptions-of-the-womens-charter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Women\u2019s Charter Singapore \u2013 History, Rights & Obligations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"women<\/p>\n

In January 2022, the Singapore Parliament passed a Bill to allow married couples to divorce by mutual agreement<\/a><\/strong> and to take \u201cjoint responsibility\u201d for the breakdown of their marriage.<\/p>\n

This sparked further debate amongst netizens, on whether the Women\u2019s Charter in fact a \u201cpro-women<\/strong><\/em>\u201d legislation in Singapore, and whether men are in a huge disadvantage in determining their contribution to the marriage.<\/p>\n

As such, the purpose of this article is to address the common misconceptions of the Women\u2019s Charter, and why this legislation is indeed fair to both genders.<\/p>\n

Brief History of the Singapore Women’s Charter<\/h3>\n

To start off, we would need to understand the historical roots of the Women\u2019s Charter.<\/p>\n

As the reader would note, Singapore was a former Crown Colony of Britain. This means back then; the English laws were applied together with local customary and religious laws (which included polygamy for men) in Singapore. <\/p>\n

Consequently, the old English laws enacted in England included provisions such as (just to name a few):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Wife\u2019s inability to work or own assets\/property in her sole name;<\/li>\n
  2. The Wife\u2019s inability to use and keep her own surname;<\/li>\n
  3. The Wife\u2019s inability to have her own independent domicile;<\/li>\n
  4. The Wife\u2019s only responsibility in the marriage is the running of the matrimonial household;<\/li>\n
  5. The Wife is not liable for the Husband\u2019s debts and liabilities; and<\/li>\n
  6. The Husband is the head of the household and the one responsible for the Wife\u2019s actions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Evidently, in the modern day and age, it would be archaic for such existing laws to be applied today. <\/p>\n

    Progressive Nature of the Women\u2019s Charter and the Courts<\/h2>\n

    The enactment of the Women\u2019s Charter changed the legal regulation of marriage and family life of non-Muslim Singaporeans, in particular from polygamy to monogamy. <\/p>\n

    The Women\u2019s Charter today has also integrated the laws regulating the husband-wife relationship, the parent-child relationship, and economic aspects of family life (such as maintenance of spouse and child) together with the law on the formation of marriage. <\/p>\n

    However, the genesis of the Women\u2019s Charter in 1961 had the primary purpose of liberating women from the traditional societal view of what women in families should be, and in doing so, elevated them to an equal position within the family nucleus. <\/p>\n

    “On this basis alone, it is right to say that the Women\u2019s Charter is \u201cpro-women\u201d<\/em><\/strong>, but certainly one that rightly gave women a fair and equal position in the marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

    For example, section 46 of the Women\u2019s Charter (as found in the original 1961 enactment) states thus:<\/p>\n

    Rights and duties of the husband and wife<\/em><\/h3>\n