Explain reasons for increasing divorce rates in Western countries

Introduction

Since ancient times, public opinion about the divorce rate has been uneven in different parts of the world. First of all, the difference in religious beliefs on marriage and divorce issues as the religious part of it plays a decisive role. In Eastern countries, we can see only separate cases of divorce among the indigenous population because Muslim women don’t have the right to seek a divorce from their husbands. Fundamentally, other situations have arisen in countries from the West. 

Among the top 10 countries with the highest divorce rate, there are six countries from the West, three countries from the post-Soviet countries and Maldives. The first place among Western countries fairly takes Belgium with a divorce rate of 71%. This is the first place in the world in terms of the percentage of divorces (Härkönen, 2013). What causes such behaviour in the West?

Modern Reasons for Divorce: Shifts in Social, Economic, and Personal Dynamics

One of the main reasons for this development is the social maintenance system, which is much more favourable for single people. Another reason is the widespread employment of women, which began in the postwar period. Wives no longer feel financially dependent on their husbands. Such a reason for divorce as infidelity is currently far from the first place. More common are the quarrels, which appear in various forms (physical, sexual, emotional). Among the modern reasons, there are differences in personal and career goals. In the Netherlands, such substantial reasons for divorce, such as infidelity or abuse, fade into the background, while psychological problems, relationship problems, and the division of domestic responsibilities have come to the foreground (De Graaf & Kalmijn, 2006).

The Impact of Technology on Marital Communication and Divorce Rates

However, the most dangerous reason, which is annually approaching the top 10 reasons for divorce, is the lack of communication between spouses. This occurs due to the development of computer technologies, especially social networks. People spend most of their time at work, and after coming home, they sit at computers, laptops, tablet PCs, and smartphones and chat with friends or colleagues in a virtual world, not paying attention to their spouses. This is despite these people spending the lion’s share of their time on social networks during the day. In China, there is even a special strip for pedestrians who are walking and constantly looking at their smartphones. In the United States, the situation is similar but slightly different from that of European countries. The main reasons for divorce are the problems of communicating with each other, financial difficulties, violence, the loss of attraction to each other, and infidelity. The fact is that marital behaviour has changed toward the increase in individualism and other post-material values (Lesthaeghe, 1995).

Conclusion

So, the main reasons for divorce in the Western countries are: 

• more favourable social maintenance system for single people; 
• wives’ financial independence from their husbands;
• differences in personal and career purposes;
• lack of communication between spouses. 
• impossibility to separate household responsibilities;
• financial difficulties;
• violence.

These reasons have emerged in Western countries because of a reduction in religious consciousness among the population and because of the predominance of material over the spiritual.