Dealing with In-Law Problems in Marriage

Dealing with in-law problems in marriage can be tricky.

Marriage, as they often say, is not just about 2 people. It is a union of 2 families. The 2 families may have different cultures, values, mind-sets and religions.

As a divorce lawyer in Singapore, I have seen many clients file for divorce due to in-law problems in marriage.

In serious cases, there could even be violence between the in-laws and one of the married parties. I recently read about how a man’s parents flew from India to Florida to “help their son beat his wife for being disobedient”.

The wife called her own parents in India. Subsequently, the matter escalated to a stage whereby police were called in.

See: Hannah Parry, “Parents ‘fly from India to Florida to beat their son’s wife for being disobedient’”, Daily Mail, 4 September 2017

In-law Problems in Marriage

What are your options if you face similar in-law problems in marriage?

If there is violence, you may wish to make an application for a personal protection order.

If the in-law problems are non-violent in nature, but you have certain grievances on how your spouse deal with the situation, you may be able to file for divorce based on the unreasonable behaviour of your spouse. For instance, I have encountered a client whose husband “gang up” with his parents to “isolate” his wife at home. The husband’s parents would cook 3 portions of food, avoid all contact with the wife and “brainwash” the children to go against their mother. The husband’s behaviour, in relation to the in-law problems between the wife and his parents, constitute unreasonable behaviour.