Walao, sometimes I really don’t understand why people still rushing to get married in Singapore. You ask me why I’m still single? It’s not that I cannot find anyone, it’s because I’m smart enough to protect myself. In this country, marriage for a man is basically like signing a contract where the terms and conditions are all written in invisible ink—and only the wife has the highlighter.
The Monetary Trap
We have the Women’s Charter, but the name reflects its origins — it was enacted in 1961 primarily to protect women from polygamy, abandonment, and unequal marriage rights at a time when those were real systemic problems. Today, courts apply it to both spouses. The law has evolved, but the name stuck. That’s worth debating, but calling it proof of bias oversimplifies the history.
Asset division in Singapore divorce is not an automatic 50/50 split. Courts use a ‘just and equitable’ standard under Section 112 of the Women’s Charter, weighing each party’s financial contributions, non-financial contributions like caregiving, the length of the marriage, and other circumstances. Short marriages without children often result in assets being returned closer to what each party brought in. Outcomes vary case by case — there is no guaranteed half-split.
The HDB Nightmare: A Real Life Horror Story
You think I’m being paranoid? Look at my friend, let’s call him Ah Huat. He’s the ultimate “cautionary tale.”
He worked his whole life to pay off their 5-room HDB in Seng kang. Then the marriage sour, they go court. He basically caught his wife cheating with her boss and he even bought her a car, he confronted her but she called the cops on her and said that he tried to use a knife to threaten her (Reality: he was cooking in the kitchen), Because of the way the law looks at “indirect contributions” (which basically means she gets credit for existing in the house), he lost 70% of the flat’s value. *
The Result: He was literally homeless for 2 years, crashing on his sister’s sofa and renting a tiny room.
The Reality: By the time he could finally afford a pathetic 2-room Flexi flat, he was already in his late 50s.
You think it’s easy to “start over” at 55? Your energy is gone, your career is plateauing, and you’re spending your golden years eating cai fan every day just to pay off a mortgage for a shoebox. All because some judge decided his 25 years of hard work belonged to someone else.
End up the ex-wife gets enough of the HDB share to buy another home and still got a “Kam Gong” that bought her a car.
My Take: High Risk, Zero Reward
In Singapore, people treat marriage like it’s a “milestone.” I treat it like a bad investment.
1. Financial Ruin: Why would I put my HDB and my CPF at risk for a “happily ever after” that statistically has a high chance of ending in a lawyer’s office?
2. Legal Bias: The system is stacked. If a man wants to protect his assets, he’s “calculative.” If a woman asks for half, she’s “getting what she deserves.”
3. The “Modern” Irony: Women want equality in the workplace, but they want the traditional protection in the marraige/bedroom. You cannot have both!
To me, getting married today is like jumping out of a plane and realizing only your partner has the parachute—and she’s the one who decides if she wants to pull the cord for you or let you hit the ground.
No thanks, I’ll keep my 100% and my freedom.