'The man is the head of the household': Zoe Tay believes being 'powerful female figure' causes discord at home

Women today are empowered to do more, but Zoe Tay feels this might prove a detriment at home.

In an interview with 8world published yesterday (June 8), Zoe shared that a powerful woman may cause problems within the family.

The 55-year-old veteran actress admitted: "I'm not a powerful female figure, and neither am I someone who knows or wants to know how to do business.

"I also feel that an ambitious figure like that wouldn't mesh well with the husband-wife relationship at home.

"Even today, the man is still the head of the household and has to take charge."

When it comes to sharing the burdens of a family, men must take care of "external" issues while women have control of "internal" affairs, she added.

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Zoe registered her marriage with former Royal Singapore Air Force pilot Philip Chionh in 1995. The couple have three sons, Brayden, 17, Ashton, 15, and Nathan, 11.

She was speaking to reporters for the new Mediacorp long-form drama, My One and Only, where she plays the decisive and authoritative real estate company boss Ma Limin. However, Limin isn't just a businesswoman, but also a wife.

Playing her husband Hao Jian is Brandon Wong, a softie whose kindness only begets more problems within the drama. At home, he's certainly no "head of the household" — Hao Jian has a tendency to avoid conflicts.

While Zoe's personal beliefs are in direct opposition to her character, Brandon, 51, shared that his character's position in the family aligns nicely with his own.

"Actually, my status at home is also like this (Hao Jian's)!" the veteran actor jokingly quipped in the interview with 8world, adding that his objective in the family is to accommodate his wife and children.

Brandon married Helen Lee in 2004. The duo, like Zoe, also have three sons: Yu Jie, 14, Yu Xin, 12, and Yu Xuan, eight.

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He continued: "I think a man should be strong enough to bear responsibilities. In addition to supporting their wife and children, men also want them to be happy.

"As long as there's space to accommodate their wants and needs, we ought to do so."

The drama also stars Elvin Ng, Ya Hui, Shawn Thia, Fang Rong and Zhai Siming, and will air on Channel 8 every Monday to Friday at 7.30pm beginning in July, with episodes also available on meWATCH.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com