Many factors affect the maintenance of wives (and ex-wives in Singapore). I have had some clients who encourage me to develop a Singapore divorce maintenance calculator. While I do not rule out developing a Singapore divorce maintenance calculator in the future (we already have a child maintenance calculator), developing a Singapore divorce maintenance calculator is a lot more complicated.
First and foremost, unlike child maintenance, it is not a given that husbands will pay maintenance to their wives after the divorce. There was a 2014 case that stated that maintenance is not an “unalloyed right of women”.
Secondly, many factors are used by the Court to decide on the necessity of wife’s maintenance and the amount. Factors include:
- The financial means of both parties;
- The financial needs and responsibilities of both parties;
- The standard of living of the family before the divorce;
- The age of each party and the length of the marriage;
- The physical and mental well-being of the parties; and
- The contributions made by each party to the marriage.
I recently read about how more millennial women (those born in the early 80s to the late 90s) are becoming stay-at-home mothers. Many of these women are young and capable, with some even out-earning their male-counterparts. According to clinical psychologist Christine Langhoff, “Educated women also understand the benefits of being there when the children are little, and will see their time at home as valuable breathing space from the frenetic pace of life, where they can apply themselves to motherhood wholeheartedly.”.
See: Lauren Libbert, “Young, highly educated and proud to be a housewife: The millennial mothers who are happy to put their family before their careers”, Daily Mail, 6 September 2017
Do stay-home mothers have an advantage over working mothers when it comes to wife maintenance? Maybe and maybe not. Stay-home mothers would not have strong financial means and they are given a certain standard of living by their husbands during the marriage. They are likely to have contributed substantially to the welfare of the family. Older stay-home mothers who have been in longer marriages may also have an advantage over stay-home wives who have not been out of the workforce for long. Given that there are so many factors to be considered, it is difficult for a Singapore divorce maintenance calculator to provide a good answer on whether maintenance will be paid and if so, how much.
If you have more questions, do contact us and let us advise you accordingly!
You may also be interested to read more about:
2. Annulment (Nullity) of Marriage
5. Maintenance Issues (Alimony)
