Take-Home Assignment on

Trend of Divorce in Bangladesh

Course: SOC 101 # 23, Summer 2019

Submitted To

Dr. Md. Mahmudur Rahman Bhuiyan (MMB3)

Director-In-Charge
Confucius Institute at NSU
&
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science & Sociology
North South University

Submitted By

Mir Zayed Bin Abdul Kader

1620011030

Date of Submission: 26/8/2019

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Trend of Divorce in Bangladesh

A divorce takes place every hour in Dhaka. This was one of the startling findings in an

exclusive report published by Prothom Alo recently. The report states that in the last seven years,

the divorce rate application has increased by a massive 34 percent throughout the country

according to data compiled by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). At least 50,000

divorce applications were filed in Dhaka North and South City Corporations in the past six years,

which means on average one divorce application was filed every hour. In Chittagong City

Corporation, already 2,532 applications have been filed during January-July of this year

(Nowshin, 2019). According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the number of applications

for divorce has increased by 34% in the past seven years. More and more are filed by women,

especially in cities. Not long ago, women could not initiate divorces. With economic liberty and

jobs, women have now options to choose conjugal life or single life. None can deter women’s

emancipation as the empowerment gives them liberty to get rid of the shackles in a male-dominated

society. Family bond is loosening. Apartment life is encouraging this greatly. Due to exposure to

satellite television channels and social media mistrust is developing between husband and wife.

Many are taking hasty decision of divorce based more on emotion than logic. Conflicts are growing

between the working couple regarding their incomes. The number of divorces is higher among

educated couples. They think it is good to go for divorce rather than maintaining toxic relationship.

The divorce rate showed no intention to decrease in the recent years but in last two years, it has

become a huge phenomenon in our country.

Bangladesh is no longer a male dominant country. Bangladesh has been a role model in

women’s empowerment in the past decade, and the country is experiencing an appreciable change

in society because of its efforts in this regard. The number of working women increased to 18.6

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million in 2016-17 from 16.2 million in 2010. Bangladesh secured the 47th position among 144

countries in 2017 as per The Global Gender Gap Report, whereas India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan

and Pakistan remain at 108, 109, 111, 124 and 143 positions respectively (Chaity, 2019). So in

terms of divorce, previously the victims were mainly women as most of them were directly

dependent on their husband’s income. But women are independent and strong right now. They are

more educated than ever and they can take care of themselves by their own. The main victims of

this phenomenon are the children. The children of divorced parents are affected. There is every

possibility of these children being derailed getting spoilt. This is one of the worst and most difficult

situations for many children. Their parents are losing their connection and just have nothing to say

to each other anymore. When, after all is said and done, mutual love leaves as well, especially

children are in for a very difficult time. While it is not all that dramatic for adult children, for

teenagers and young children a divorce can have a huge impact on their lives. It’s not just the

sudden breakup of the family they have to consider but the decisions that follow. In some

circumstances, children even have to choose whether to stay with father or mother. Some of cases

result in worst scenarios. Children get depressed and get addicted to smoking and drugs.

The taboos against divorce are still intact in many parts of the country, particularly in rural

areas, where a divorced woman is associated with disgrace and shame. But it could be argued that

the prejudices attached to divorcees are withering away, albeit gradually, in places like Dhaka

where modernization is giving way to people shedding their conservative attitudes. This shift in

attitudes is likely part of a broader societal change brought about by an increased number of women

attaining higher education and their absorption into the labor force. As a woman's decision-making

role in the private sphere has begun to be recognized, so too has her right to end a marriage. The

combination of a growing societal acceptance of divorce and women's realization of their own

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rights has a big role to play. (Nowshin, 2019). The main perpetrators of divorce previously were

men in the male dominant society but the situation is changed now and divorce are mostly initiated

my women or it is done mutually. In a patriarchal society like ours, women are held primarily

responsible for keeping their families together – even at the cost of their own happiness and well-

being. But that is a flawed concept, because a husband and a wife are equally responsible for their

family. Though we have a law to prevent domestic violence, it is still a major problem in

Bangladeshi households. In most cases, it is the women who are suffer physical and mental abuse

in the hands of their husbands and in-laws. But now many women are speaking up against the

abuse and choosing to break out of the vicious cycle. Survey in Dhaka North and South City

Corporation shows 70 per cent of the applications for divorce are filed by wives (Hossain, Ghose,

2018). According to a report, in 2011, 2,864 notices (1,773 by women, 1,091 by men) were issued

in DNCC and 819 (533 by women, 285 by men) in Zones 1 and 4 of DSCC. In 2016, the numbers

of divorce notices issued in DNCC was 4,847 (3,426 by women, 1,421 by men) and 852 (569 by

women, 283 by men) in DSCC (Irani, 2017).

Marriage registrars, psychologists and gender experts noted loss of family bonds and

values, polygamy and extra-marital affairs, promiscuous relationship, drug addiction and

economically empowered women opting out of marriages following mental and physical torture

as reasons for increasing divorces and separations. Some of the most common reasons behind

decisions of separation and divorce stem from an inability to maintain a conjugal life, failure in

providing subsistence, immoral practices, incurable diseases, physical assault, dowry, premature

marriage, infertility and polygamy. The major reason for divorce is marital conflict, according to

statistics. Among the reasons for filing for divorce, women mention ill behavior, extramarital

affairs, torture for dowry, settling abroad, drug addiction, social media addiction, impotence and

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many more. The reasons, on the other hand, for men to file for a divorce are disobeying Islamic

rule, disobedience to husband, indifference to the family, infertility, and so on. The reasons for

divorce are almost the same, regardless of the social stature. Among the cities, the highest number

of divorce application was filed in Barishal while the lowest was in Sylhet, shows the study. People

are more conscious now. They take divorce or stay separate if there is any dispute in conjugal life.

However, the children have to suffer for their parents’ decision. Due to widespread use of social

media, husbands or wives are more suspicious of their partners, which eventually destroy the

bonding. Also, unpleasant sexual life is also a major reason for divorce in our country.

In a country like Bangladesh, divorce is never the solution to end marital conflict. It puts a

very bad impact on the children of the couple and on the society as well. Here are some of my

recommendation which can be used to stop this phenomenon:

 Child marriage should be banned strictly in our country.

 Parents should not force their children to marry someone forcefully.

 Mutual understanding and tolerance of husband and wife can play a key role to preserve a

couple’s marriage.

 There should be counseling among the couples for settling disputes.

 Spend quality times together and talk about your needs repeatedly.

 Honor and respect your Partner and share financial expectations and budgets.

 Get some accountability and understand what are the biggest issues in your marriage.

 Accept that your spouse is human—just like you.

 Take divorce off your head and think about your family and children.

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References

Nowshin, N. (2018, September 2). Understanding the rise in divorce in Bangladesh. Retrieved

from https://www.thedailystar.net/news/opinion/perspective/understanding-the-rise-

divorce-bangladesh-1628311

(2019, February 28). Why Bangladesh's divorce rate is rising. Retrieved from

https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/02/28/why-bangladeshs-divorce-rate-is-rising

Hossain M. and Ghose, S. (2018, August 28). One divorce per hour in Dhaka. Retrieved from

https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/182345/One-divorce-in-Dhaka-every-hour

Irani, B. (2017, May 14). Divorce rising in Dhaka as women seek way out of troubled marriages.

Retrieved from https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2017/05/14/divorce-

rising-dhaka-women/

Independent, T. (n.d.). High divorce rates worrying. Retrieved from

http://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/163954/2018-08-29

Independent, T. (n.d.). High divorce rates worrying. Retrieved from

http://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/163954/2018-08-29

Chaity, A.J. (2018, July 11). Women empowerment: Bangladesh sets example for the world.

Retrieved from https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/special/2018/07/12/women-

empowerment-bangladesh-sets-example-for-the-world

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