Forum: Trivialising divorce creates problems

I appreciate Professor Chan Wing Cheong's desire to reduce acrimony in divorces and help families heal after a marriage breakdown (Consider allowing no-fault divorce to remove blame game when couples split, July 9).

However, I disagree that allowing for unilateral or no-fault divorce is the correct solution for reducing acrimony. While it may sound enticing, such a move is over-simplistic and creates new problems without effectively addressing current ones.

No-fault divorce reduces the solemn act of marriage to a legal contract which can be exited at any time by consent between spouses.

However, it does not consider the adverse, long-term impact it has on children, extended families and society. Decades of research have shown that divorce results in poorer health as well as economic and socio-development outcomes for individuals and for society.

Instead, we should focus on addressing problems and closing loopholes in our current system. These include:

  • Unethical behaviour by divorce lawyers and lucrative fees in the divorce industry.
  • Lack of marriage therapy, counselling and conflict resolution mechanisms within the current family justice framework. Conflict resolution and marriage recovery should be a core feature of Singapore's family justice system.
  • Possible entrenched, systemic gender bias in the family system.

The trivialisation of divorce and the basic family structure, far from enhancing a society's welfare, creates longer-term problems for all affected parties - children, women, men and governments.

As we collectively shape Singapore's social compact and fabric for the years ahead, let us adopt a mindful and honest approach in our family policies

that will best secure the future for ourselves and future generations.

Ivan Teo

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