An Exploratory Study in Singaporean Divorcees from Transnational Marriages

With the influx of migrants during the past few decades in Singapore, transnational marriages have been on a steady rise. It is reported that Singapore has a large proportion of transnational marriages with 38.7% of marriages in 2008 comprising marriages between a Singaporean citizen and a non-citizen (Jones 2012). Inevitably, transnational divorce as a social phenomenon becomes more visible, and has caught the attention of academics, social work practitioners, activists and policy makers. Transnational divorce is not just unique in Singapore but has grown in prominence in the global context with the heightened pace of international migration due to a variety of reasons such as work, marriage, poverty and conflicts. In my previous research project on divorce biographies in Singapore, I have encountered cases of transnational divorces and gained a glimpse into the cross-border divorce lives, particularly on areas concerning postdivorce parent-child relationship, reconfigured family practices and strategies across different countries. However, there has been inadequate research done on transnational divorcees and their families, particularly in the Singaporean context. This project therefore sets out to fill the gaps not just in academic research but also in policy evaluation by gaining a deeper understanding of transnational divorcees and their families in Singapore" their experience in terminating a transnational marriage, working out crossborder post-divorce arrangements such as child custody, access, care and control, and constructing what the Author calls, a 'divorce biography' (Quah, 2015) that may remain transnational. The research asks if transnational divorcees may have a different post-divorce trajectory, including successes, challenges, strategies and practices, that may be unique to transnational divorced families.