As the ties that bind marriages are strained and broken in the context of separation and divorce, the value systems of the parties will impact their perspective on the performance of the ‘marriage contract’. In Asia, marriage creates a contract between individuals but also a web of family alliances. The impact of globalization is often seen as eroding the impact of culture on societal values, but in this most intimate contract, people often find that their underlying values are consistent with belief systems that have traditionally held their societies together.
In Confucian and neo-Confucian societies, values around the role that each gender will perform are perceived to be changing, however, for some traditional values exercise a strong hold. This reality can be a confronting experience for spouses in separation