Khorasan's Account of Local Statistics; Women's Requests for Divorce are 5 Times Higher than Men's

A newspaper published in Mashhad, in its issue today, February 17, discusses the roots of the fivefold increase in divorce requests by women compared to men, stating that in Khorasan Razavi, 58% of divorces are initiated by women, 11% by men, and 31% are mutual agreements. The Khorasan newspaper cites the provincial welfare organization of Khorasan Razavi, noting that six main reasons for divorce requests in the country include domestic violence or aggression, addiction, infidelity, psychiatric disorders, poor life and communication skills, and sexual problems or disorders. The report's author believes that women pay more attention to these risk signs than men, notice them sooner, and may therefore request divorce earlier. The reasons given for divorce requests, which experts believe contribute to women's reluctance to marry, contrast with government views that attribute rising divorce rates and reluctance to marry to 'women's excessive demands.' In this context, Ensieh Khazali, Deputy for Women's Affairs in Ebrahim Raisi's government, stated on May 10 that 'according to the Supreme Leader, over 70% of extravagance is attributed to women, so we must seriously engage in the jihad against wastefulness and abandon incorrect traditions and campaigns like dowry giving and matchmaking.' A review of statistics and news by Voice of America indicates that alongside the mentioned factors, economic issues have also fueled the rising trend of divorce and decreasing marriage rates in Iran. Official statistics show that in 2008, the misery index was over 35% and inflation was over 25%, which has risen to 44% inflation by fall 2023, with observations indicating that the misery index has surpassed 60%. During this period, the number of divorces recorded in 2008 was over 101,000, which increased to 190,000 by 2022. IRNA, the state news agency of Iran, also reported on May 7 that over 45% of marriages in Iran are unsuccessful, with one in three marriages leading to divorce. Conversations with Rana Mansour about emotional relationships, divorce, and lack of communication in families highlight that population growth in Iran has approached zero alongside declining quality of life. Social crises such as 'child abuse' and 'severe family disputes' remain at the forefront of contacts with social emergency services. The aftershocks of the economic crisis on family foundations have led to 570 cases of dowry claims being registered in a single day, and approximately 26,000 girls under 15 years of age were married in the past year.