What are the six legal facts for irretrievable breakdown in civil divorces?

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The six legal facts recognised under Singapore’s Women’s Charter for irretrievable breakdown in civil divorces are adultery, desertion, unreasonable behaviour, separation, divorce by mutual agreement, and (as the sixth legal fact) separation for a specified period leading to divorce.

Under Singapore’s Women’s Charter, couples seeking a civil divorce must show that the marriage has irretrievably broken down by relying on one of six recognised legal facts. The legal facts mentioned include adultery, desertion, unreasonable behaviour, separation, and divorce by mutual agreement, with lawyers pointing to how these grounds operate differently in practice. One additional legal fact completes the set under the Women’s Charter framework for civil divorce.
Adultery, desertion, and unreasonable behaviour are among the recognised legal facts
Adultery is one legal fact, and it is described as requiring proof of a spouse’s sexual relationship with a third party. Desertion and unreasonable behaviour are also recognised legal facts under the civil divorce framework. In recent figures, “unreasonable behaviour” was the most commonly cited legal basis for civil divorces in 2025, while adultery was cited in just 0.9 per cent of cases.
Separation and divorce by mutual agreement are also recognised legal facts
Separation is another recognised legal fact for civil divorce, and it has time-based requirements tied to whether consent is given. Divorce by mutual agreement is also recognised, and it was introduced on July 1, 2024. In 2025, divorce by mutual agreement became the third most commonly cited legal fact among civil divorces.
The legal facts are used to establish irretrievable breakdown in civil cases
Lawyers describe the purpose of these legal facts as a way to establish that the marriage has broken down irretrievably within the civil divorce legal framework. One family law lawyer said spouses who end their marriage because of infidelity often rely on unreasonable behaviour rather than adultery because adultery has a higher evidential burden. This evidential burden can involve compelling circumstantial evidence such as reports or photographs.
The sixth legal fact completes the Women’s Charter list for civil divorce
The framework requires six recognised legal facts in total, and the set includes the five explicitly mentioned: adultery, desertion, unreasonable behaviour, separation, and divorce by mutual agreement. The remaining sixth legal fact completes the Women’s Charter list for civil divorces where irretrievable breakdown must be proved using one of the recognised grounds.

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What are the six legal facts for irretrievable breakdown in civil divorces?

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