Rising Divorce Rates in Iran: How Serious is the Situation?

If you have been following media reports, you have likely heard news about the increasing divorce rates in Iran from time to time. This statistic has been interpreted as a sign of family breakdown in Iran and a shocking rise in divorces. But is the divorce rate in Iran really alarming? This is a topic we discussed with Hossein Ghazian, a sociologist in the U.S., and Mehrdad Darvishpour, a sociologist in Sweden. However, we first asked Asal, a young woman living in Iran, for her analysis of the rising divorce rates in the country. Asal stated, "From what I see around me, it seems that the standards of living have changed, and the options people have for living their lives have changed. If previously, divorce or changing partners was an option for men, now if a woman is dissatisfied with her life or has any issues with it, one of the possibilities she considers, which is not far-fetched, is to end her life and get a divorce. I feel that the information that has reached women, the wave encouraging women to be aware of their rights, and the possibility for women to lead independent lives or have a reasonable life after divorce, helps women view divorce as a solution and choose it." Hossein Ghazian discusses divorce and women's awareness of their rights, stating, "The first point is that the divorce rate in Iran is not very high yet, but it is on the rise. The number of divorces in Iran is 14 per 100 marriages. In contrast, when we look at the top ten countries in this regard, in Belgium, which is the highest, there are 78 divorces per 100 marriages. The lowest among these ten countries is the U.S., with 50 divorces per 100 marriages; therefore, compared to global statistics, the divorce-to-marriage ratio in Iran is still low. However, it cannot be denied that this figure is increasing; but if you want the truth, the divorce rate in Iran is lower than expected given the conditions families are experiencing. With the current situation in families, one would expect more people to get divorced, and then we would find other reasons regarding family life in Iran that show the situation is not as it is claimed. One common assertion is that women have become more familiar with their rights, and this has become a factor for family disintegration. Even if this is the case, it is not the primary factor for divorce. Blaming everything on women is a significant error. Secondly, this issue does not necessarily relate to their awareness of their rights but has a fundamental cause, which is the increase in individuality and self-awareness as a gender. This means gender self-awareness as a woman is understanding oneself. This individuality, in places where it is combined with independence—having more resources for decision-making—has turned into agency and greater capability for decision-making. Thus, it has allowed these women to question whether they should remain in this family life or not. Those women who have gained this individuality and agency may explain part of the rising divorce rates. However, as I said, the family situation in Iran is worse than can be explained by just this aspect of the issue." Looking at the statistics provided regarding the reasons for divorce, over 15% of those who participated in a study cited family interference in their internal family matters as the reason for requesting a divorce. This, according to Hossein Ghazian, indicates the rise of individuality in society: "When we talk about family interference, in traditional networks where individuality is erased and people are absorbed in the collective, they are not the ones making decisions but rather a family network. When your individuality rises, you resist this natural occurrence of family network interference, and your individuality emerges. That is when the interference of others in life becomes an issue. In a social network without individuality or with little individuality, this interference is part of the ordinary life you have in a collective network. Because marriage [in traditional networks] is not an individual matter. It is not just about you and your spouse; it concerns the entire family network you are part of, and their presence does not mean interference. When interference takes on meaning, it is because your individuality has grown, and you ask yourself what role they have in your life. It is I who must decide for my life, not my mother-in-law or my spouse's mother or anyone else. This is where this is actually a sign of individuality. At the same time, as I said, individuality is not enough; it must turn into agency, and to become agency, the individual who has found this individuality and awareness or this feeling needs to have resources to manifest and realize this individuality. That is where resources come into play, and when these two combine and turn into agency, it may increase the demand for marriage among this group." The Mehr News Agency published a report stating that divorce rates in Iran have shown an upward trend over the past decade. According to this news agency, experts have described the divorce statistics in Iran as a silent earthquake that is shaking society every day. Tehran continues to hold the record for divorces in the country, with 90 people separating from each other daily. This style of reporting is prevalent in Iran, while, as Hossein Ghazian states, the divorce statistics in Iran are not high. But why do the responsible authorities in Iran have such a fear of rising divorce rates and convey it to the media in this manner? Mehrdad Darvishpour states, "In Iran, separations have received more attention from the authorities of the Islamic Republic for two or three reasons. One is that in a traditional society governed by a religious government, where religious values consider family a sacred matter, the expansion of separations harms the foundations of those sacred family beliefs and religious values. Therefore, when the rulers constantly promote the sacred family, the increase in divorces represents a kind of anti-value against what the government promotes. Secondly, separations in Iranian society are occurring at a time when the trend of marriages is also declining. This means that a government that strongly promotes population growth, when it sees that the marriage statistics are not aligning with their expectations, and having children outside of marriage is not recognized at all. Thus, the expansion of divorces is a blow to the government's propaganda and policy regarding population growth in Iran. Thirdly, the very nature of divorces expresses a specific reality, and women's expectations from relationships have increased. Since the government is antagonistic towards individuality and especially views the increasing expectations of women as a threat to itself, the increase in divorces is a serious challenge to all these cultural and social values that the government pursues.