2.2% Increase in Divorce Rates in Iran

The head of the Civil Registration Organization denied reports about the non-publication of divorce statistics, announcing that the divorce rate in the first four months of this year has increased by 2.2% compared to the same period last year, while the marriage statistics have decreased by the same amount. According to ISNA news agency, Hamid Derakhshan Nia announced on Sunday, August 7, that 55,718 divorces were registered in the first four months of this year, which is a 2.2% increase compared to the same period last year. He reported that for every 4.2 marriages, one divorce was registered, and the average duration of shared life in registered divorces was 8.2 years. According to Mr. Derakhshan Nia, 47.5% of divorces occurred within the first five years of marriage, and 12.1% of these couples had lived together for less than a year. He did not provide details but mentioned that the provinces of Alborz, Gilan, Razavi Khorasan, and Kermanshah had the highest divorce rates, while Sistan and Baluchestan, Yazd, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari had the lowest. Mr. Derakhshan Nia stated that the average age of divorce for men was 35.5 years and for women was 30.6 years. Ali Akbar Mahzoon, the director general of demographic information and statistics at the Civil Registration Organization, had announced on Tuesday, August 2, that this organization would no longer publish divorce statistics. Several experts and members of parliament protested this action by the Civil Registration Organization. For instance, Soheila Jelodarzadeh, the deputy chair of the Social Commission of Parliament, stated that the Civil Registration Organization should provide an analysis of the reasons for divorce and solutions to prevent it instead of ignoring the issue. One day after these remarks and reactions, the Civil Registration Organization announced in a statement that it would continue to publish 'human statistics across the country' within its legal responsibilities at designated times. Meanwhile, Mr. Derakhshan Nia expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage of the non-publication of divorce statistics by what he referred to as 'foreign' media, lamenting the domestic media's reporting on the matter. He emphasized that 'the production, descriptive analysis, and publication of statistics on the Iranian population are among the missions and major goals' of the Civil Registration Organization. The head of the Civil Registration Organization also reported that 234,982 marriages were registered in the first four months of this year, which is a 2.2% decrease compared to the same period last year. According to Mr. Derakhshan Nia, the provinces of Ardabil, Kurdistan, and North Khorasan had the highest marriage registrations, while Tehran, Semnan, and Isfahan had the lowest. He announced that the average age of marriage for men was 28.7 years and for women was 24.1 years. The National Organization for Registration of Deeds and Properties had previously reported that in 2015, registered marriages across the country decreased by 6% compared to the same period, while the number of divorces increased by 1%. Officially, lack of understanding and the possibility of reconciliation, family interference, failure to fulfill contractual conditions, and addiction have been cited as the main reasons for divorce in Iran. Islamic Republic officials view divorce not as a 'social phenomenon' but as a 'social harm.' Meanwhile, many sociologists believe that serious changes in the status of men and women, marriage and family, increased awareness of women's rights, and the overall fundamental changes in the deepest layers of social life in Iran should not be overlooked when examining the causes of the increase in divorce in the country.