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Factors Responsible for Rise in Divorce Rates
People no longer confine their goals and expectations around a cosy home terrain, but are willing to look beyond this traditional heaven. In a globalized world, human resources are always under a tremendous pressure to outperform themselves, which takes a toll on the family responsibilities and expectations. Traditional beacons of guidance and instruction like the church and the family no longer hold that sway in the scheme of things. In the contemporary British society, the divorce rates are constantly on the rise. The number of divorces granted in the UK rose to 167,116 in the year 2004 as compared to the figure of 166,737 in 2003. More and more families are resorting to divorce as a means of coming to terms with their marital problems. The current rate of divorce in the UK stands at 14 per 1,000 marriages. The average length of a marriage in the UK is just about 11.5 years. A number of factors are responsible for this meteoric rise in the divorce rates.
1) Relaxed Divorce Laws
Society is undergoing a process of reverse engineering in which the individual holds greater importance over the conventional expectations and ideals. The state and the judiciary seem to be loosening their grip over the personal lives of the masses. There is a growing awareness amongst the intelligentsia and the law makers that bearing with a lousy marriage is often more harmful then going for a divorce. The divorce laws are becoming more relaxed and the courts often exhibit a lenient attitude towards the divorce cases filed with them. Infact there is a long list of legal and social institutions, which render help and advice to the people seeking a divorce. This has certainly led to a considerable rise in the divorce rates.
2) Empowerment of Women
There is no doubt that over the years, the social and financial status of the women has undergone a significant change. With their increased participation in the work force, women are vociferously challenging the traditional patriarchal preferences and norms. The households no more confine to the orthodox set up in which women took care of the family and men acted as the sole provider. Motivated by an increase in their financial muscle, women seem to be unwilling to tolerate the customary male hegemony. This is manifested as a significant rise in the number of single mother households. Women are becoming more open with the issues concerning them and do not hesitate to file for a divorce if the need be. In 2004, 69 percent of the divorce cases were initiated by women and in 52 percent of the divorce cases, the ground for divorce was often the husband’s behaviour.
3) Rise of Individualism
With the increased secularization of society, the quest for personal satisfaction and gratification is no longer considered to be unethical or selfish. People seem to be voting overwhelmingly in favour self actualization, which is contrary to the human spirit of self-sacrifice and tolerance. Driven by their personal goals and priorities, people no more consider it worthwhile to spend time in building on relationships. In such a scenario, minor marital indifferences assume gargantuan proportions and deprived of any sense of restrain, people decide in favor of a divorce.
4) Lack of Communication
Being driven by career considerations, spouses often do not get the time to communicate with each other. Without any particular sense of ill will or anger, spouses simply drift apart and lose track of each others life. Trapped in their private cocoons, couples often do not get the time to sit together and resolve the issues concerning them. The incompatibility issues ignored and suppressed over the years give way to suspicions and misunderstandings. Avoiding and ignoring each other makes the two spouses strangers to each other. This often ends up in divorce or separation. Various researches have verified the fact that the more the two spouses communicate with each other, the less likely are they to divorce.
5) Change in Social Norms
With the passage of time, society is getting more tolerant of divorce and being divorced is no longer considered to be a taboo. With the increased social acceptance of divorce, people no more hesitate to opt for one.
