Women And Divorce In India

The recent rise in divorce rates in the metro cities of India has been partially attributed to women, and therefore, tell an interesting story about women and divorce in India. Over the last decade, Indian women have become more proactive in seeking for separation from their apparent better halves.

The woman, who was once taught to have unquestioning faith in her spouse, is fearless to question today. One can only hope that this trend continue to forge new paths for the fairer sex in the country to walk down. If anything, it is about time that this narrow-minded society waked up and allows itself to accept the problems that have been here for generations now.

In the rural villages in this country, men are still known to be the initiators of divorce, who financially and emotionally abandon their wives and children.

However, travel some kilometers towards a town, and you’ll be presented with a different reality. Urban wives across all classes are walking out on husbands who do not treat them with equal respect, and especially those who harass them physically or mentally.

Though the above trend may stem from the ongoing attempts at liberation, education, increased financial opportunities and better exposure to employment, the fact still remains that in many parts of India, being a divorced woman still attracts social stigma.

Changing that fact of life needs to be a collective effort by the current male-dominated society, which must accept the glaring truth of female potential.

Here are some facts about separation and how it effects the life of a women in society today:

• Those who are separated from their husbands, especially single mothers, still find it tough to get rid of the blatant biases that continue to reside in middle-class Indian towns and cities.

• Families may have become supportive of their need, but they still encourage their daughters to remarriage for they view the life of a lady incomplete without servicing and serving a man.

• When two spouses separate in a very public lawsuit, it is always easier for male counterpart to just let go, and continue his like of prosperity without any judgmental glances, or hushed whispers in supermarkets. Many ladies are still cautious of sexual relations outside of their marriage vows, and thus their sexual needs remain unfulfilled unrequited to a large extent, that is unless they remarry.

• They are also more prone to sexual harassment as they appear to be more vulnerable targets to the typically ill-adjusted Indian man.

• Another problem with the perception of breaking ones marital vows in the country, is that it should only be treated as a last resort measure.  But that very idea is responsible for many housewives to stick on in the marriage years after they already realized the futility of the union in the first place. If anything, it would do good for families to remember that the older their daughter gets in our society, the lesser the chances of her finding a good groom. While it is distasteful to our minds to propagate such an idea, one must make do with the current state of affairs, and find the best possible outcome within the same constraints.

• Economically, divorce is harder on the wife, than it is on the husband. Employment opportunities are unequal and therefore, they need to work harder to gain a solid financial standing. It becomes twice as difficult if they are are single parents, who have been awarded, or opted for, child custody.

Living in our society today, and reading this online, means that as a contemporary citizen, we have come a long way. If one was to think back, say just 10 years ago, the situation was much worse.
The new-age daughter no longer puts up with troubling mother-in-laws, or wandering husbands. According to a survey, wives have cited these two as the top most reasons for filing for divorce in India. This is a drastic shift from the traditional upbringing of women in India that focused solely on how to keep a family together, rear children selflessly, and be at the beck and call of the “superior” male master of the household.
What is great is that even those with children are breaking out of this restrictive mould. With increased financial liberation, comes the ability for single mothers to care for their children without need or requirement of any extrinsic help and aid.

The fear of survival without a husband does not haunt the females in this country as it did even a decade ago. Divorced women in India are also getting more support from their families now than they did earlier, where many were shunned from their maternal home for even suggesting separation.
The attitude with respect to divorce is slowly undergoing a metamorphosis, to usher in a brighter future, with a more practical society. Until then, the status of women and divorce in India continues to evolve at its own very steady rate.