Women’s Charter Now Law In Singapore

Press, Volume C, Issue 29477, 1 April 1961, Page 2

Women’s Charter Now Law In Singapore

The Women’s Charter for the emancipation and protection of women in Singapore officially came into being yesterday. From now on, women are legally entitled to their own property rights after marriage and monogamy is law.

Mrs C. H. Cook, of Christchnrch, who has just returned from a year in Singapore, yesterday described the effects this charter would have on the lives of women there and told how she had observed the lives of women of different classes during her stay.

“Up tm now Chinese men have been allowed as many wives as they can afford to support.” she said. “As from March SI they will be allowed only one wife. Moslems have been excepted from the char, ter’s ruling in that they may have four wives, providing they treat them all equally and can adequately support them all.

“Property rights will mean a woman win no longer have to give her own investments and property to her husband when she marries as waa the general practice previously. She ean retain them all in her own name. But this may prove to be a problem as many of the older Chinese women may not want to abide by this new rule. Unlike the younger generation who have become European in their behaviour, they still walk one pace behind their husbands and never go out unaccompanied. “The younger Chinese couples go about hand in hand and the younger woman will not think twice about going shopping with her own money and by herself. WORKING WIVES “Like many Europeans, both the modern wife and her husband will work after their marriage. Low wages often make this essential. When a family comes along this makes no difference. The wife will hire an amah to care for the child and will continue to work. She will work perhaps right up till the day before she has the child and then take 48 days’ maternity leave which is given in Government departments. When she has found an amah to care for the baby and has settled her household into the new routine she will return to work.” One of Singapore’s greatest problems was the rapidly Increasing population, Mrs Cook said, From the number of babies registered it was estimated a baby was born there every seven minutes. There was also a large number of children born and not registered. This problem was the reason for an intensive familyplanning campaign which had begun last month and would continue for an indefinite period, she said. For two weeks at the beginning, the main theatre in Singapore had been given to the familyplanning authorities to use solely for lectures and publicity for the campaign. A long series of radio talks on family planning had been

given by an eminent woman gynaecologist. Dr. Maggie

“The campaign is making steady headway, though progreat is slow at this stage,** said Mrs Cook. “So many of the people are illiterate that education in this respect has to be mainly oral.** LARGE FAMILIES Various religious groups were against the campaign but the organisers had been surprised to find the Moslems willing to co-operate. “They realised the importance of the campaign and the need for it too,” said Mrs Cook. “Large families of between 14 and 21 children are common.” The law on monogamy in the Women’s Charter was also expected to help. It was not a surplus of women in Singapore that was responsible for polygamy because many wealthy Chinese imported their wives from Hong Kong and other parts, said Mrs Cook. One of the other problems facing Singapore was the desperate shortage of nurses. A New Zealand society in Singapore was currently working for various welfare organisations in the country and often called on New Zealand women to help with streetday appeals and to work in hospital wards. A large general hospital in Singapore covered an area almost as great as Cathedral square, in Christchurch. The multi-storey building housed three classes of patients. Those in the first class could pay up to 28 dollars a day for their food and could hire private nurses if they wished. The charge was six dollars a day in the second class and

the third class food and treatment was free. New Zealand women often helped in the second and third-class wards where the patients were "packed in like sardines.” Even in the first-class wards there were only four nurses to cope with up to 30 patients a day. GENEROUS PEOPLE “I wu amazed at the generosity of the people when there wu a street-day appeal In Singapore,” said Mrs Cook. “There was an appeal of some sort held nearly every week. It seemed to me that even the poorest people would be hurt if they were not given the opportunity to contribute. Their own wages would be Incredibly low but they would always give something even if it wu only 10 cents.” The society helped underprivileged persons in many ways. There were collections for blind persons and handicapped children and visiting was undertaken in Singapore’s Chinatown where the New Zealanders would try to find homes for as many families as they could. “Some persons will hire a corner in a corridor for a few hours a day and that will be the only home they know.” Mrs Cook said. “The corner will be hired again and again throughout the day and night so that it is- home to not one but many families. “There are no cooking facilities and people eat at street food stalls.” While in Singapore Mr and Mrs Cook and their 16-year-old daughter, Robyn, lived at Tanglin—a suburb about five miles from the city.