State leads in divorce cases in India.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
Despite being called ‘Gods own country,’ the south Indian state of Kerala is infamous for suicides. In fact, the number of suicides in the state is much higher than the national average. In terms of per capita alcohol consumption, Kerala is one of the leading states. The rising number of divorce cases is another area where the state again tops the list.
According to data compiled by the government of India, Kerala is the state where the most number of divorce cases is filed in a year among the 12 states for which data is available.
During the year 2014, 47,525 cases were disposed of in the family courts of Kerala. Over five divorces every hour and 130 every day. The figure has, however, shown a downward movement from the previous year where it was 54,215. In 2012, the total number of disposed cases was 40,499.
As India does not maintain the records of divorce cases, a nation-wide database of the same is not available and so a comparison based on the available data would be inappropriate.
But, with the available statistics of 12 states, it can be clearly stated that the rate of divorce in Kerala is much higher than many of other states, according to India Spend.
Though many of the states in the list like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh are more populous than Kerala, none of the states have reported as many cases as Kerala.
According to the data, Maharashtra is the state holding the second position with 22,812 cases disposed of in 2014. But the population of Maharashtra is almost three times that of Kerala. Madhya Pradesh had 21,569 cases and Karnataka had only 16,690 during the same period.
It’s difficult to say why there is an upward trend in the divorce cases filed. While analyzing the available data, certain connections can be made between the number of cases and female literacy and employment rate. In three leading states of Kerala, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, the female literacy is more than the national average. The rate of working women is also more than the Indian average.
But in the case of Madhya Pradesh and Haryana – third and fifth in the list, respectively – this correlation cannot be made. The female literacy rate of Madhya Pradesh is lower than the national average while that of Haryana is on par with India.
The difference in expectations and conflict of interests and egos are considered as main reasons behind divorce cases in cities.
Due to various reasons, including lack of knowledge about legal rights and economic dependence, women in India tend to remain in marriage even if they are not satisfied with the relationship.