Marriage laws are being altered to be more favorable for men. Now, these are already laws based on a stringent interpretation of Islam so they began by being more favorable for men than for women. But further changes are being considered, and these changes have angered many local women's groups:
The five points which have drawn the women group's ire are:
# THE right of a husband to claim a share of his existing wife's property upon his committing polygamy;
# MAKING polygamy easier for men;
# FORCING a wife to choose either maintenance or division of joint property upon a husband's polygamous marriage;
# ENHANCING the husband's rights to divorce; and
# ALLOWING a husband to get a court order to stop his wife from disposing of her property.
The motion passed the lower house of the parliament but got into more trouble in the upper house, especially with many women Senators. Those belonging to the ruling party were, however, told to vote for the changes whether they liked them or not. Sounds like the same principle as in the proposed changes, doesn't it?