Divorce refers to the legal cancellation of marriage declaring that marriage as null and void. Marriage which is said to be a union of two individuals is generally expected to last till the death of the couple but in some cases when the couple feels that they are not compatible with each other or are hindering each other’s growth or any other reason , they decide to legally cancel their marriage . The reasons for divorce are many not just the two reason which are mentioned above raging from domestic violence, to the cases where one partner commits infidelity to cruelty, insanity, desertion etc. It is not good to continue in a relation which is turning toxic as it will affect the mental as well as physical well being of an individual.

India , the second most populated country in the world has less than 1% of divorce rate while Maldives which is 11,031 times less populated in India has the highest divorce rate in the world with 10.67% of divorces happening per 1000 inhabitants. The reason for such a high rate is that being a Muslim country, Maldives prevents any kind of premarital physical relations and as soon as the children turn 18 , they marry . Also the marriages there are not at all a costly affair with $10 being the fee for the judge and 10 relatives being invited to the wedding. The decisions taken in such tender age of 18 are often proves to be wrong , as the partners mature with time they realise that their aims are very different from others. Also, there are no social obligation restricting them in a unhappy marriage.

Why is there such a huge discrepancy between both the countries? Is it because people in India are quite happy with their partners? Or is it because they are married with their choice of life partner? Read the blog completely to know the reasons.

Why does India has such low divorce rate?

The main reason for divorce rate being the lowest in the second most populated country in the world is that people consider divorce to be a taboo. Marriages in India are a big affair with every acquaintance being invited and treated to the best lavish dishes and luxurious gifts that the family can provide which often leads to the expenditure of the entire savings of the family and heft loan amounts. According to a common belief, here marriages are made in Heaven and even if you are suffering terribly you should not break the bond which is said to be pious tying to people in a matrimony for their next seven human lives. This belief is very contrary to what the VEDAS(the oldest religious scriptures in the world which is a theoretical source for all the laws written in the SMRITIS which used to govern the laws in ancient times) say.

Also, there is a social stigma attached to the divorces which questions the character of mainly the woman stating her to be incapable of “fulfilling her husband’s demands”. Women since centuries now, are a piece of toy who despite all her qualification fails to be called a successful woman if she is not married and has not produced the kids. It is a woman who is supposed to adjust, putting even her self respect at stake. This is the reason where a woman even after becoming a victim to domestic violence never dares to file for separation as victim blaming and shaming starts soon after and she eventually accepts domestic violence as a part of her life. A woman is supposed to have no voice of hers as she is considered incapable of taking correct decisions for herself. What an irony it is that staying in a venomous marriage is considered to be good for a woman! This is the reason that the states of Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP where patriarchy still has a strong hold have the lowest divorce rates while the liberal North East has the high rates. It is the state of Mizoram in India that has the highest divorce rate of 6.34%

The time period of divorce also stretches infinitely long sometimes taking years when the divorce is not mutual which drains the involved parties emotionally, mentally and financially due to the amount of alimony involved.

What does the VEDAS say about the marriage and divorce

According to Kirron Krishnan a Vedic spiritual theist, Rigveda (which contains information about religious, social and economic life of the people) or any of the other three Vedas do not contain any mention of the term called divorce. In those times the term was not needed because according to Rigveda , the husband takes the hand of the bride to live with her till their old age playing with their grandchildren respecting her , loving her and supporting her all along. Meanwhile the wife was the queen of her husband’s household who would over the same support , respect and love back. It was a mutual show of respect by both the parties which did not leave any scope for any domestic violence case. Further, unlike in today’s time where a daughter is considered to be a liability who is born just to be married off, in the days when India was a golden bird the women were trained and skilled by her family and was married to the groom of her choice and the same was prevalent with men.

However there is the mention of remarriage if one partner dies , rennounces the world , disappears , is involved in criminal activity or is impotent. The laws in the ancient times were far more suitable for both the genders than they are today.

Is it good to have such a low divorce rate in the country

By stating that the low divorce rates are not good it doesn’t implies that the divorces are good and more people should have it. If the couple in the marriage is happy then there are no issues, but if the couple in the marriage is not happy with each other and is only together “because they have no other way” then it is completely wrong as it will generate negative vibes harming the couple as well as their innocent children . It is seen in more than one cases that the children from unhappy marriages results in being a frustration box to their parents’ outbursts which hampers the growth of the child.