Reason for broken marriages

Discussions about marriage, divorce, gender equality, and homosexuality are often filled with ugly rhetoric, while the opinions of knowledgeable experts are simply ignored. Not surprisingly, India’s rising divorce rates are routinely blamed on modernization, the break from our past, and the embrace of so-called ‘western’ values.

However, there’s nothing western about divorce, as marrying for life was also a western tradition that only began to suffer with urbanization, changing social dynamics following the World Wars, and the rise of advertising and consumerist culture.
Today, corporate culture with its emphasis on career advancement, productivity, and profits, has increased the stress on marriages, not just in the west, but here in India too. So, instead of playing the blame game, let’s hear what the experts have to say.

Causes For Rising Divorce Rates In India

According to some psychologists, divorce rates in India have increased by 100 percent in just 5 years! This figure may seem exaggerated, but reports suggest that they may be underplayed instead, as some cities like Kolkata witnessed a 350 percent increase in divorces from 2003 to 2014.
With our great cultural and social diversity, the causes of divorce in India are not easy to pinpoint, but marriage counselors and psychologists who treat couples have a unique insight into this modern problem.

Changed Priorities

“Most urbanites put their careers and earning power ahead of everything else, often neglecting personal relationships and family, as well as their own health and wellbeing”
Over the past two decades, there has been a dramatic change in the lifestyles and priorities of young adults because of rapid urbanization and overpopulation, corresponding with globalization and the spread of corporate work culture. As a result, most city dwellers face tremendous pressure to perform, competing for scarce resources and employment opportunities from an early age.

Not surprisingly, most urbanites put their careers and earning power ahead of everything else, often neglecting personal relationships and family, as well as their own health and wellbeing. Even in marriages where couples put their relationship first, they often struggle to make time for each other and as anyone will tell you, relationships take a lot of work.

Nuclear Families

“Without extended families, couples are more dependent on each other for social & emotional interaction, but men & women have significant differences in both requirements, often leading to conflict & disillusionment”
This is another markedly urban phenomenon, as most households in cities are occupied by nuclear families. Monetary constraints, along with the need for privacy and personal space make nuclear families the obvious choice, but this does have a downside.
Social bonding and emotional fulfillment was in the past satisfied primarily by extended family, and this leaves a clear void in modern nuclear families, as most couples spend hours at work and have little time to connect.
Moreover, couples are now more dependent on each other for social and emotional interaction, but men and women have significant differences in both social and emotional requirements. This often leads to dissatisfaction and conflict if the partners are not able to find a middle ground.

Gender Equality

“Women who are financially secure, are less dependent on their husbands & therefore less subservient, which is a problem for dominating or chauvinistic men – financial independence also makes easier for women to walk out of bad or abusive relationships”
To be honest, the world and notably India, are still a great distance away from true gender equality, but women certainly enjoy greater financial and psychological independence than ever before. According to some psychologists, this positive development may also have an undesirable outcome.