Kerala's divorce cases rise by 40% in seven years, shows study

Divorce petitions being filed in family courts in Kerala have recorded a 40 per cent rise in seven years, according to a study published in the Journal of Polity and Society, University of Kerala. Divorce cases rose from 19,233 in 2016 to 26,976 in 2022. Ernakulam district recorded the highest number of divorce petitions in Kerala; 3,536, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (3,282). Kasaragod reported the lowest number of cases during the same period (848).  Weddings registered under the Hindu Marriage Act dominated the types of divorce petitions filed in the whole of Kerala, with 16,860 cases in 2022.

"There are several reasons triggering the divorces in the state. The reasons found in the study include extramarital relationships, dowry, cruelty, domestic violence, sexual incapacity, absence of children, substance abuse, disparity in education, communication gap and other reasons,” said Anas Tharakan, Assistant Professor at the PG department of social work and sociology at GEMS arts and science college, Malappuram who did the study.

Sociologists concur that divorce rates are likely to remain high even in the face of evidence that marital break-ups may affect children.

"The fact is that more couples now choose to end marriages that fail to live up to their expectations. The choice for greater individual choices clashes directly with the obligations and social norms that held families and communities together in earlier days. People feel that questions like how to live and with whom to live are matters of individual choices and not to be governed by social norms,” said sociologist Benny Varghese.

Dr S Irudayarajan, a migration expert and researcher, said that the divorce rates will be higher in urban areas and cities than in rural areas. “Decline in fertility rates, shrinking household size, growth in nuclear families and decline in joint families are some of the reasons. Internal and international migration, particularly long distance and transnational migration at younger ages, will be one of the factors,” he said.