Aftershocks of the Economic Crisis on Family Foundations; 570 Cases of Dowry Demands Registered Daily

The website 'Hamshahri Online' reported that since the beginning of this year, 160,215 cases of dowry demands have been registered, averaging 570 requests per day across execution branches nationwide; a trend that experts attribute to the continuation and intensification of the economic crisis in Iran. The head of the Iranian Psychological and Counseling Organization stated on October 22 this year that one of the main factors of divorce is economic problems and unemployment among men. Ali Fathi Ashtiani also mentioned that 'the ratio of marriages to divorces has decreased from 12 to 1 in the past 20 years to less than 3 to 1.' The newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' also addressed the consequences of unprecedented inflation on December 25, stating that the country faced a decline in 'marriages' and 'birth rates' last year, which some attribute to changes in 'lifestyle' and the rise of single living. According to this newspaper, the reality of the new demographic equation goes beyond this change and has 'economic roots.' The Iranian government news agency IRNA also reported on May 7 that over 45% of marriages in Iran are unsuccessful. Concurrently with the release of this statistic, the Women's and Family Affairs Department of Ebrahim Raisi's government announced a 'special focus' on the issue of 'divorce.' The IRNA report emphasized that one out of every three marriages leads to divorce, and about 80% of divorces are 'mutual' and registered in official offices. The trend of divorce in Iran is increasing regardless of the dos and don'ts dictated by officials and societal norms, as the statistic of 80% mutual divorces indicates the ineffectiveness of Ebrahim Raisi's statements on February 22, 2022, where he stated that 'mutual divorce should not be easily carried out.'