SINGAPORE – Following a marriage of over 30 years, a woman who earns $32,500 monthly and her unemployed husband filed for divorce.
The couple, who have three children aged 25, 30, and 33, argued over the distribution of their matrimonial assets that included proceeds from the $6.2 million sale of their house in 2022.
The man, 64, claimed 50 per cent of the assets that were determined to be worth $7.8 million.
He said while his former wife, the director of a company, had been the sole breadwinner, he was the primary homemaker.
The woman, 62, argued for an 80 per cent share for herself.
She claimed that although her former husband had been unemployed since 1997, he had dabbled in various business undertakings over the years. She argued he was often busy and that taking care of the children was never his primary role.
In a judgment dated June 24, Justice Teh Hwee Hwee awarded the woman 60 per cent of the assets, while the man got 40 per cent.
She took into account the extent of each person’s contribution in terms of money and property, and looking after the welfare of the family.
The judge found the woman had been involved in caring for the children and the household even as she worked full-time and had provided for the financial needs of the whole family for about 25 years.
Justice Teh said the man, in addition to caring for the family and the children, had contributed financially in the early years of the marriage when he was working.
This included buying their first home, which then allowed them to grow their matrimonial assets.
The judgment did not state why they had divorced.
But it noted the channel of communications between them deteriorated as their relationship worsened, and they had been living apart for at least four years before filing for divorce.
About nine years into their marriage in 1988, the man left his full-time banking job.
He then ran a home-delivery laundry service for a year, operated a fried noodles hawker stall for two months, and conducted ad-hoc financial futures and options markets classes for free at home for four years.