While an uncontested divorce takes anything between 7-9 months, a contested one can drag on for several years taking an emotional and financial toll on the couple and their respective families. This integrated social structure, to some extent, impedes couples from taking the legal route.Īlso, the lengthy legal process involved in divorce acts as a deterrent, at times. Family members often intervene and turn counsellors when a marriage is on the rocks. Given the higher rate of arranged marriages in the country, divorces are often frowned upon because of the intense involvement of families on both sides. Although there are separations, couples often do not file for divorce legally. In rural areas, the idea of divorce is still very outlandish. Separated couples don’t file for divorce, bringing down the rateĭivorce is still considered taboo in large parts of the country. A legal divorce will mean alimony, possible child custody and in a lot of cases, freedom from oppressive control, and the patriarchal system just won’t allow it. Marriage is possibly the worst thing that has happened to women-kind, and men have made sure that it’s exceptionally difficult to get out of it. Add to this hegemonic mix, a large, all pervasive dollop of patriarchy, and you’ve found the perfect recipe for a 1% divorce rate.
Any which way you look it, the boundaries of the family are fiercely protected by the institutions we have built around it. It is holy and sacrosanct in Hinduism - a union in the eyes of God. It is the atom in a capitalist system, which requires private property to be accumulated and passed to ‘legitimate’ heirs. It’s one of the three basic economic units through which consumption and production are measured. The ‘legitimate’ family unit (read heterosexual and cis-gendered with children) is the first point of socialisation for an individual - we inherit a certain identity at birth. It definitely doesn’t mean happy marriages, but it’s also a lot more than just social pressure that prevents people from seeking a divorce - our entire socio-economic, cultural and political framework is built on the blueprint of the household unit. The family unit is the atom in a capitalist system and a union in God’s eyes Low divorce rates don’t mean happy marriages they just reek of a system that doesn’t allow agency or autonomy, especially for women. The ideal woman is groomed to sacrifice everything at the altar of patriarchy. We have all seen unhappy marriages - from that aunt who lives with her abusive in-laws to that cook who goes home to a drunk, violent husband. The social stigma of being a ‘divorcee’ is worse than being unhappily married. A staggering number of Indian women are not financially independent, which limits their options severely. The reasons are both social and economic. The ability to dissolve a marriage is a privilege most Indian women don’t have. One agrees to spend the rest of the life with a person (and a family, in the case of a woman) one knows very little about. But here’s the caveat – most often, they are not.įor starters, most marriages in India are arranged. On the face of it, this can be a heartening story. That is equivalent to 0.24% of the married population, and 0.11% of the total population,” said a 2016 BBC report. “1.36 million people in India are divorced. Out of 1000, only 13 marriages end in divorce in India.
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