Publication : Report

This paper offers an analysis of how Singaporean divorcees organise their post-divorce family life and examines the interplay of autonomy, commitment and context in the maintenance of their family relationships after the divorce. While family life has become increasingly democratised as discussed in theorisations on individualisation and contemporary organisation of personal life, community scholars argue that commitment and belonging remain salient in family life. My research attempts to map this debate to the context of divorce and examines how Singaporean divorcees manage their post-divorce familial relationships within the social and policy context they are located. By making use of empirical data collected from in-depth interviews with 32 Singaporean divorcees, I explore how they, as part of constructing what I call ‘a divorce biography’, exercise individual choice, demonstrate commitment and navigate around dominant family norms to reconfigure their post-divorce family relationships. This article shows how their reconstituted family life might continue to thrive despite the rupture of their marriage and associated relationships.

Information Source : WPS 226 Negotiating Post-Divorce Familial Relationships: A Case of Singaporean Divorce Biographies

• National University of Singapore