Divorce among youngsters on rise in city
Indian Express: From an average of 150 cases in 2006, the number of couples opting for divorce had rose to 240 now, reason – lack of emotional compatibility, disruption of personal spaces in joint families, domestic violence, busy work schedule etc.
27 year-old Narendra was introduced to his would-be wife, Archana only hours prior to their hasty ten-minute marriage ceremony last December. Archana’s high profile job in London and liberal cultural background were a complete mismatch for the conservative, orthodox traditions of his family. “She refused to touch my parents’ feet saying it was not her culture,” Narendra said. He filed for divorce less than a year after the marriage despite repeated attempts by both families to reconcile the couple.
The rise in the number of quick divorces is perhaps an indication of the changing attitudes and perceptions that are starting to take shape in the city.
“There are a wide range of reasons being cited by young couples, the trend is becoming all too common, especially in Pune,” says family court advocate Asim Sarode.
“Lack of emotional compatibility, disruption of personal spaces in joint families, domestic violence, lack of communication due to busy work schedule, disagreements based on social behavior and monetary disagreements are among the most common reasons. There is also an alarming increase in cases involving spousal abuse,” he added.
Money and attitudes towards financial freedom and financial backgrounds are commonplace in divorce cases. In one instance, Gayatri and Ganesh More were married for one-and-a-half years but spent most of their marriage living in separate houses.
Gayatri refused to live with her husband due to perpetual mistreatment and abuse by his family, “I was from a poor financial background and my in-laws said I do not deserve to live in the same house,” she said.
Sarode attributes the growing trend of extra-marital affairs as the most common cause of break-ups. For every eight divorce cases pending before the family courts, five cite adultery as the crucial issue. In most of these cases, the extra-marital affairs were with a co-worker. In nearly eight such cases, the couples have been married for less than a year and are in their 20s.
Reports from marriage counsellors indicate that over 30 per cent of such cases involve one or both partners working with IT industry.
“The stressful working conditions have contributed to the growing tensions at the home, which spiral into irreconcilable differences and in extreme cases, domestic violence,” says Dr Vandana Patnaik, a Mumbai-based psychotherapist.
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