Saudi city: 45% divorce rate before consummation

A study has found that divorce rates before consummation in the Saudi city of Jeddah have risen to 45 per cent, especially among those aged 26 to 30.

Saudi Arabia’s Society for Family Development explained in its study that divorce rates have increased to 60 per cent due to pressure from the wife and her family. The study – which explored the causes of divorce during the period between signing the contract and consummation – showed that in 24 per cent of cases, the couple were between the ages of 21 and 25. Meanwhile, the divorce rate of those under 20 years old decreased to three per cent.

The study involved 164 divorced men and women and showed that the rate of divorce among those who do not have family ties reached 73 per cent. This was followed by those who have a family relationship on the father’s side at ten per cent, on the mother’s side at nine per cent, while the rate for those who have relationships from all sides by about seven per cent.

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The study indicated that divorced men and women who had a secondary school qualification represented 41.5 per cent of the sample, followed by those who had a university qualification with nearly 40 per cent, and the lowest group among them was university graduates with 4.3 per cent.

The study specified that the rate of divorced men was 92 per cent, compared with 8 per cent for females, while 83 per cent were Saudis and the rest were expatriates.

The research also revealed that the percentage of divorced government staff amounted to 13 per cent, while those who remained unemployed was also 13 per cent. The other 87 per cent were never married or divorced, while the ones who got married and divorced stood at 13 per cent. Those who had children from a previous marriage reached 87 per cent.

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The study pointed out that the most important causes of divorce are the couple’s inability to see each other before marriage, in addition to the inequality in their socioeconomic and educational levels. Annoying one another, one partner’s increasing commitment to morality and religion, as well as the mood of one spouse, were also important reasons.

The study ruled out the spouses’ health issues, the conditions of women’s work, pursuing their studies and choosing the partner through the internet as reasons behind divorce. It recommended the establishment of a research centre for family studies in order to raise the level of awareness in society.