Why are divorce rates significantly higher in the Western countries?

[Babygirl_S]

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+1 y

But divorce is a taboo in Muslim countries and they also have much higher divorce rates than India.

[RockyHammock]

- Empirically speaking, within the US, ladies overwhelmingly initiate divorces. Granted guys file to divorce too, but it's not as common.

Not every women wants the same thing, but through watching random dating podcasts like FreshandFit and Kevin Samuel - some women place a high importance on hypergamy. That is to say, some women only enter relationships based on the expectation their financial situation or social status will improve.

In short, financial security is one of the main drivers of female hypergamy. From my life, I genuinely can't think of any relationships where the woman out earns the man theyre with. Thus I believe hypergamy is inherent to female nature and societally that is represented with a high divorce rate.

Cultures that have social repercussions for divorces have a way of suppressing the female nature factor. Case in point, India (where divorce is considered taboo). Cultures where female nature is encouraged, such as the US, are now seeing both higher divorce rates and older marriage rates (median age being 31 now vs. 25 back in 1998).

[D_Bone_Steak]

Laws... straight up, the laws give the cash and prizes unevenly to one gender here... thus why one gender is so quick to jump to the divorce idea at all.

I just got through telling someone else here on the internet that everything would change if the Government got greedy enough to also take the kids from the women and charge them money for the kids as well. Simple logic.

Women are not that bad in my opinion... the manipulated environment guides them to be bad though. Encourages it and rewards it. I really think if they suffered the same consequences a lot of the bad shit would die down real fast.

Here is a random picture to show how I feel.

[quaranta]

From a macro point of view, I would say the cause is the advancement we got in social relations (which are much more complex, interconnected, and oriented to let anyone affirm and develop their unique individuality), while trying to keep the relationship paradigms of the past, which were meant for... The context of the past. I think there should be a subject at school to get occasionally, about "relationship education" (not just sexual) that gives the tools to develop communication skills, facing conflicts, developing empathy and understanding toxic situations in advance, as well as a lot more of awareness on relationships in general. Most couples don't break because of the lack of a mutual vision together, but because of bad communication/relationship skills, bad introspective skills, and a lot of problems thrown under the carpet, accumulating until they explode. The way people solve conflicts is often insufficient and short-term oriented.
If you combine the absolute total lack of relationship education with the gained freedom in our society, the many ways a person is allowed to grow in and the raised standards on what to get from a relationship... I think you can very well expect some results like a high rate of divorce.
But, pretty sure there are other causes contributing to that, and multiple readings of how before it was "better", because under some aspects the reasons behind long term marriages are not exactly good.

[Aerissa_Jade]

One thing to keep in mind though is 1st time divorces are not that high. Those that get divorced once though and remarry, they often keep doing it over and over and over.

Add that to the mix of divorce rates and non first time divorces are sky high.

I say it is a multitude of factors though, there isn't any one reason why someone gets divorced. They could be abandoned by a spouse, they could be victims of domestic violence or the offender.

Money issues are a big one, when couples won't do things joint and still live like roommates, separate accounts for money and splitting bills as if they were roommates does not build trust and support.

One of them having a spending issue or refusing to work, making the other carry them financially.

Cheating, or keeping secrets.

Trust issues too... everything ultimate points back to that.

[21Cowboy21]

Yes money issues the team may face is number one stressor that can male the probability of divorce significantly higher.

The other one rich people still face more often though is lack of time spent together - one or both partners may work longer than may be sustainable for the relationship thay can create as you wisely say a lack of communications - or make one partner or both feel neglected - lile they are less important than the other partners work (and this may be true - or may not be - could just be the nature of the role they are doing even though they may be wanting to do it for their family's benefit ling term).

[BlackBeauty90]

Spain - is a no fault country so at least financially you don't have to pay restitution to your spouse. So infidelity is, maybe surprisingly given a Catholic country, a big thing.

Luxembourg - the age of marriage is still relatively low & the divorce procedures are rather simple. Immaturity, lack of committment, cheating, etc of course is paramount

France - lack of committment / support and infidelity is a big thing there. People joke that the French are a little bit "flaky" but a number are quite fickle fairfeather flakes.

I've been to all three of those countries when I was younger, before moving to the US.

Ultimately though in western countries a general lack of respect is the cause.

A lack of respect for your partner results in cheating, etc. Cheaters don't respect their partner because they don't care if they hurt that person. When you respect someone, you care.

[BlackBeauty90]

There's also the fact that western society supports cheating and infidelity. Just look at the celebrities changing partners like decent people change underwear.

Or dating apps - I used one once months ago and had just started talking to a guy, all of a sudden he had no profile picture & told me one of his colleagues was on the app... guess what douchebag was married.

[WindAtMyBack]

More freedom without a lot of tradition binding people. In the US the divorce rate skyrocketed when the laws changed and allowed "no-fault" divorce. That means couples can easily get divorced for just about anything.

I think it's a good thing. Nobody should have to stay in a marriage they aren't happy in. Let them get divorced and get on with their lives.

Divorce is always seen as a negative. I don't really see it that way. I see countries where it's difficult or impossible to get a divorce as very negative. People from some of those countries move to the west just so they can get divorced.

Divorce rates are deceiving. Those rates are total marriages/total divorces. The odds of a first time marriage ending in divorce are much lower. People who get divorced once are FAR more likely to get divorced multiple times. So they drive the average higher.

[21Cowboy21]

Because of freedom of choice. Other countries may have less developed womans rights where the female is more dependent on the male for resources and may not be able to leave without losing stability and risk homelessness and/or being ostrosized by both men and woman in her community.

In the west woman are themselves more able to be self sufficient so are not as co depending on the male specifically for survival and resources.

Other countries womans rights may be similar in that countries development to where American may have been in the past in 1940's and 1950's. And other countries will likely change overtime too - just as their socioeconomic status and womans rights rises also.

[KostasKouvalis]

Because they get married straight out of high school or even sooner, because they either get knocked up or they think they're high school sweetheart is the love of their life, and you can know someone after just a few months of dating them. One of my friends married a guy she barely knew just because she wanted a kid, my cousin married out of desperation. Then I saw an episode of Catfish where a girl was gonna marry a gut after just 4 days of talking to him, ONLINE! That's not even desperation, that's just mental.

[Berethor]

One of the problems with feminism, and western countries also have too low birth rates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth#/media/File:Countriesbyfertilityrate.svg

[Lowiu]

Because you can a lot of countries do not realy allow you to divorce or you have big problems as a single woman in most western countries you can live pretty well single too

[OfMiceandMen]

I dunno, but my country appears to be the lowest. 👍 Are these winter statistics bc no one wants to be kicked to the curb in the winter time? Tough to find someone to snuggle up to and stay warm, so divorce rates drop during this period.👀

[Breanna_nonbinary]

You’ll notice that the highest divorce rates are in countries where religious influence is taught as precedents over how to resolve conflict and interpersonal relationship.

[SpokenTruth]

The good thing is men have caught on and refuse to marry which is exactly the way it should be given the circumstances. I wouldn't get married for anything under the sun and the same goes for dating too.

[Bricealan]

In the middle East, all the 'husband' says is: I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee.

[melanieeeB]

Cause we have more rights and don't get murder for wanting to leave an abusive marriage or whatever

[LazerBean]

Because it is socially acceptable, and rampant promiscuity decreases marital satisfaction.

[Agape93]

Because we can and aren't beholden to tradition or religiously based laws that forbid it.

[Anemone978]

We can divorce because it is better to divorce here

[RockyHammock]

Why is it better to divorce?

[Anemone978]

@RockyHammock Well if you get divorced you can still easily make it in life where as a lot of those countries that are white if they got divorced they probably wouldn't be able to survive on their own.

[SpaceGalaxy]

Getting a divorce is not considered as bad in the western world as it is in other parts of the world, so instead of wasting your life by being with someone who you no longer desire to be with, you get a divorce and start fresh.

[Cubus]

Western countries do not care about the family. When men and women have the first quarell there they just divorce instead of trying to fix it.

[DarkLegacy]

People marry for the wrong reasons is the short answer.

[Alex8736]

All I know is the leading cause of divorce is "marriage"

[Fromdusktilldawn]

My country has 87% ? Never expected that lol. Those stats def are not from the elder gen.

[Slim57]

People are more entitled, they would rather throw everything out and get someone new than work on themselves or their relationship and fix it.

[Yellovv]

Because people have huge expectation each other, that's cause too many problem finally ends up with divorce...

[Cheerfull009]

Free culture, following the rule :fuck & dump

[sunflower00]

Socially acceptable, less religious pressure etc

[Chazmatazz269]

Because women are egregiously entitled.

[TallAnon]

Because it's socially acceptable.

[LiamJHayden]

Lack of social stigma.

[jjj101010]

More freedom, less oppression

[Pegases]

Modern day Feminism.