Women's Charter

Women's Charter 1961
Legislative Assembly of Singapore
  • An Act to provide for monogamous marriages and for the solemnisation and registration of such marriages; to amend and consolidate the law relating to divorce, the rights and duties of married persons, the protection of family, the maintenance of wives and children and the punishment of offences against women and girls; and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
CitationOrdinance No. 18 of 1961
Enacted byLegislative Assembly of Singapore
Commenced15 September 1961
Legislative history
Bill titleWomen's Charter Bill
Bill citationBill No. 126/61
Introduced3 March 1961
First reading22 February 1961
Second reading22 March 1961
Third reading24 May 1961
Committee reportSelect Committee on the Women's Charter Bill [L.A. 10 of 1961] (1961), Official Report, Singapore: Government Printer{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Status: In force

The Women's Charter 1961 is an Act of the Singaporean Parliament passed in 1961. The Act was designed to improve and protect the rights of women in Singapore and to guarantee greater legal equality for women in legally sanctioned relationships (except in the area of Muslims marriages, which are governed separately by the Administration of Muslim Law Act). Among other things, the Act provides for the institution of monogamous marriages, the rights of husbands and wives in marriage, the protection of the family, and the legal potentialities with regard to divorce and separation.