Is the Ex Wife Entitled to Spousal Maintenance Singapore?

Is spousal maintenance Singapore compulsory? How is the amount of spousal maintenance Singapore determined?

Spousal maintenance Singapore

In general, spousal maintenance Singapore is not a given. This means that not all divorced women are entitled to spousal maintenance Singapore.

The following factors will be taken into account by the Court in deciding whether spousal maintenance Singapore will be given, and if so, how much.

Financial means of the parties;
Financial needs of the parties;
Standard of living enjoyed by the family previously;
Age of the parties and length of marriage;
Any disability of the parties; and
The parties’ contribution to the family.

Case study

I recently read about the case of a Pakistani girl who claimed that “money, not family” saved her after divorce. She was a career woman while her husband wanted her to be a stay-home wife. She was married to her first cousin for 2.5 years, even though she barely knew her husband prior to the marriage.

The couple moved to the US after getting married. There were many disagreements over house work. They rarely spoke, had many fights when they did and the wife even suffered a miscarriage.

Finally, they parted and the wife returned to her hometown in 2014. Though she was young and did not have children/ financial responsibilities, she found it hard to get back on her feet. Her family did not support her.

The young lady claims that money saved her. She was not a financial burden, got an education and paid for her therapist.

See: Dawn/ Ann, “Money, not family, saved me after divorce”, Asia One, 20 May 2017

Given the young lady’s situation, she might not have received maintenance if she were divorced in Singapore as: