Let us analyse these factors and try to find out the reasons for the high divorce rate in the UK. This analysis would help us to compare the problems of married couples in the UK and India and contrast the divorce rates between these two countries. Divorce facts are compared and contrasted with India, because, India has an extremely low rate of divorce.

Why do People in the UK Divorce?

Lack of Communication

Many women divorce petitioners feel that their marital life would have been happier if their partners communicated more. Marriages are built on love, and constant nurturing through positive communication increases love.

Extramarital Affairs

Many marriages could have survived extramarital affairs if only the guilty spouse would have confessed. Non-confession enrages the wronged partner into seeking a divorce.

Seeking Help

All couples fight. But when fights turn persistent and assume vindictive hues they have to be resolved by a counsellor. Many marriages could have been saved with a counsellor's help. Unfortunately, married couples do not like to discuss their problems outside the close friend and family circle.

The most common reasons for British couples to divorce are lack of communication, extramarital relationships, none to counsel, and domestic violence. These reasons have led 42% of married couples in the UK to opt for a divorce.

Now, let us compare and contrast this with the scenario in India. Indian married couples face all the problems that plague their British counterparts. Yet, divorce rates in India are as low as 1.1%. The two main reasons that prevent divorces in India are the family structure and religious beliefs.

Joint Family System

Extramarital Affairs

In a joint family, all the members of the family are monitored by the elders of the household. Erring spouses indulging in extramarital affairs are frowned upon. This acts as an effective barrier in seeking relationships outside marriage, for no member would like to antagonise the entire family.

Counselling

The older family members counsel the younger generation if they face problems in their married life. This has helped save many marriages.

Addiction and Domestic Violence

Addictions of any sort and domestic violence are not allowed in joint family systems. In nuclear families, it is difficult for the solitary spouse to prevent habitual addiction or domestic violence in the other partner. Here, the support offered by the family helps the victimised spouse deal with such problems.

Finally, joint family members find it difficult to divorce their spouse. For, divorce does not mean just a separation from the spouse, it means severing ties with the entire family as well.

Divorce rate in India was 7.4 per thousand a few decades back. It has increased to 11 per thousand. Urban couples are divorcing more than the rural people. This trend can be explained by the fact that urban couples live in nuclear families while the rural people belong to the joint families.

Apart from the family structure, religion also plays an important role in preventing divorces. Religion has a strong impact on how people view women, marriage and divorce.

Spiritual Equality of Women

In India, religion treats women on par with men. No religious function is ever complete without the participation of the wife. It is also the duty of the wife to see that the family members are spiritually oriented. Such orientation acts as a divorce-preventive measure.

This spiritual equality of genders is not found in the UK. Religion favours men and even God is referred to in the male gender. Change in the traditional approach to make religious practices women-centred might have a positive impact on divorce rates.

Religion, Marriage and Divorce

Marriages in India are deeply religious affairs. The religious stamp sustains marriages.

In any country, low-conflict marriages are a norm while high-conflict marriages are an exception. Low-conflict marriages must be worked upon and high-conflict marriages should end in a divorce.

In India, the family structure and religious views prevent low-conflicting couples from divorcing whereas, in the United Kingdom, divorce rates are high for no preventive measures exist to stop mildly conflicting spouses from getting divorced. These marriages, if worked upon, would have eventually turned into a happy relationship over a period of time. It would also be a good idea to condition children to become good spouses when they grow up. This is a practice adopted in India.