Rabat- Divorce rates are increasing in the Arab world, with females’ financial independence and new legislation allowing women to file for divorce as the driving factors behind the sharp rise.
According to the British newspaper, divorce rates are skyrocketing in the Middle East and Arab countries. Nearly 50% of marriages in Kuwait end in divorce, a higher proportion than in the US. And one-third of marriages result in divorce in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Economist also found that the patterns of divorce are changing, with men ceasing to be the initiators of divorce in Arab countries. In Morocco, meanwhile, “nearly as many women as men initiate a split,’’ wrote the British newspaper.
Read Also: Casablanca Experiences 15,956 Divorces Amid 2020 COVID-19 Measures
One of the key factors presumably responsible for this high increase in divorce rates is the procedure of filing for divorce becoming easier for women, The Economist argued, stressing: that it is becoming increasingly “easier for Egyptian women to file for divorce, Algeria, Jordan and Morocco followed suit.’’
Additionally, women now enjoy financial independence and are no longer dependent on men to provide for them, and family patriarchs and religious authorities are less oppressive and have less impact on divorce decisions.
The British newspaper also pointed out that divorce fees are cheaper in the Arab world than in the US. Hence, the dissolution of marriage is inexpensive for both parties.
Divorce rates in Morocco have increased drastically after the 2004 revision of the Moudawana, or family code, in which Morocco’s repudiation law was expanded to permit both men and women to unilaterally seek a divorce.
Divorce cases in Morocco decreased from 26,914 cases in 2004 to 25, 852 in 2018, and rose to 27, 149 cases in 2019. The rates exploded in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis’s negative economic and social effects. Casablanca alone experienced 15, 956 divorces in 2020.
