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Divorce rate up 10 fold since reform era: Ministry
The Religious Affairs Ministry revealed Tuesday that the number of divorces per year in Indonesia has increased 10 fold since the end of the new order era in 1998, and that political differences between husbands and wives is being cited more frequently as a cause
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he Religious Affairs Ministry revealed Tuesday that the number of divorces per year in Indonesia has increased 10 fold since the end of the new order era in 1998, and that political differences between husbands and wives is being cited more frequently as a cause.
During the late Soeharto's new order era, which crumbled in 1998, there was an average of 20,000 divorce cases per year, but the rate has shot up to more than 200,000 per year.
“The number of divorce cases is increasing every year and I don’t know why. It’s probably because women now have a greater awareness of women’s rights,” Director General for Islamic guidance at the Religious Affairs Ministry Nasaruddin Umar told journalists in Jakarta with a laugh.
“About 2 million couples get married every year, and more than 200,000 couples get divorced for various reasons,” he said, adding that divorces were most common in Semarang, Central Java, Bandung, West Java, Medan, North Sumatera and Surabaya in East Java.
He said an increasingly common reason for divorce was a clash of political views.
“Believe it or not, some couples decide to divorce because the husband and wife have different takes on political issues. This has never happened before,” he said.
In 2005, 105 couples divorced citing a conflict over political issues. The figure increased to 502 couples in 2006. The ministry has not determined the figures for 2007 and 2008.
“I am sure the number could climb higher and higher every year, especially in 2009,” Nasaruddin said.
Other common given reasons for divorce are economic factors, unfaithful spouse, ethnic differences and religious differences.
“Many couples insist on marrying even if they are of different religions, and 90 percent of those marriages end with divorce,” Nasaruddin said.
The most frequent reason cited in religious courts for divorce is polygamy.
“Data from 2006 shows that as many as 879 couples divorced because of [polygamy],” he said.
He said that he believed women were becoming increasingly aware of their rights thanks to the efforts of NGOs and women activists, which have run campaigns against polygamy.
Scholars and activists have welcomed the development, saying it shows women are becoming more independent economically and that more women are receiving higher education.
According to recent reports, polygamy is on the rise in Indonesia. The Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice received 87 reports of polygamy last year, up from 16 in 2007. (naf)
