Divorce Causes in the UAE - Essay Example

Divorce of the UAE Introduction A divorce usually occurs as soon as a husband and wife make a decision of not to live together anymore and thus they no longer need to be married to each other. The couple accepts to sign legal papers to become single again and is free to get married again with another person if they want. Even though, divorce sounds a simple issue, it is in reality very difficult for both the husband and wife to make such a decision. Frequently, they spend a long time making efforts to solve their problems before making the decision to divorce. However, they are sometimes unable to fix their problems and decide that to divorce is the ideal solution for ending all these problems. Despite the fact that change is an ordinary part of life; however, as soon as it takes place in our family, it seems to be extremely hard to manage and deal with. Sometimes both the husband and wife want to make the decision of divorce, and sometimes only one of them wants the divorce but the second partner doesn't want that. Generally, both partners are dissatisfied and feel upset because they will get divorced even though one of them wants the divorce and wants to live separately more than the other. In most cases, divorce hurts the feeling of kids once one of the parents decide to leave the second partner and move away from the house of the family. It is not easy to not take it personally. It is significant to remember that divorce occurs between the husband and wife, and although it has effects on the entire family, it doesn't mean that a parent who lives away from the house does not care about his\her kids. Lots of the kids don't want their parents to get divorced. Some of the kids have confused and mixed feelings concerning this issue, particularly if they are familiar with their parents weren't happy together. Some kids could not feel calm and relieved as soon as their parents get divorced, particularly if there were lots of fights between their parents through the duration of the marriage. It is highly significant to remember that divorce doesn't change one essential fact. A parent whether it is a dad or mom who lives away from the house is still the father or mother. This fact can’t change no matter which problems arise or which conditions change after a divorce. A divorce ends the marriage and all direct legal relationships between the couple. An understanding of divorce must not only consider the details of a specific case, but also must explore the wider societal forces that drive individual actions. This paper will look at the major causes of divorce in the UAE and how divorce impacts on children, families and the entire UAE society. Causes of divorce in the UAE Early marriages Early marriage is a key cause of divorce in the Emirati society. Nazzal, (2001) notes that a study by the ministry of labor and social affairs revealed that 31.5% of divorced females of every nationality in UAE were married before the tender age of fourteen. This study also revealed that 23.7% of divorced males married at the age of 20 and 24 years. Early marriage occurs due to pressure to marry. In addition, young do not have a lot of opportunities to become updated before marriage, which results to miscommunications when they enter into a marriage. Poor communication Communication difficulties make couples unable to spell out their feelings and expectations. Numerous girls and boys in the UAE might lack communication skills they require to interrelate with the opposite gender, since their schooling and upbringing have in most cases been strictly gender se apart. According Constantine, (2010), a recent survey commissioned the UAE Marriage Fund revealed that poor communication amid wives and husbands is a major cause of divorce in UAE. The study of 1,335 divorced women and men ,undertaken by a group of experts from the UAE university established that misunderstandings amid couples was the most frequently quoted reason for divorce, followed by meddling in relationships by the family members. According to Nazzal, (2001), a study by the ministry of labor and social affairs demonstrated that in numerous cases, married couples sought divorce after they selected to share housing with their family members, where 34% of divorced females had lived with the families of their husbands, and 8.7% of the divorced males had lived with the relatives of their wives. Financial burdens Brentano and Clarke-Stewart (2007) argue that financial issues contribute to divorce for a wide range of reasons. Married partners may not be earning enough income to support the form of lifestyle they want, or may not be earning enough income to meet their primary needs. Frequent disagreement on how to spend money also results to matrimonial problems. This is especially likely to occur in situations where on partner is earning considerably higher income than the other and if one partner feels under appreciated and overburdened by the other partner, resentment occurs. Constatine (2010) notes that a study by the marriage fund established that 30% of the surveyed males identified their partners’ financial demands as the major factor in demise of marriages. Another study by the ministry of labor and social affairs has established that 45% of divorced individuals demanded autonomous budgets and purportedly refused offering any monetary help to their partners (Nazzal, 2001) Socio-economic changes The increase in the general development of the Emirati society has resulted to a rise in the number of educated and married females joining workforce. Modernization has offered women novel options which have diluted conventional opinions toward marriage as an unalterable, permanent situation. Nowadays, several women have high levels of education as their spouses and possess full time jobs with better pays. As a consequence, they have increased financial, psychological and social independence. These, along with the essentials of urban life have incited changes in gender roles within the matrimonial homes. According to Nazzal, (2001) a study Emirati center for strategic studies and research revealed that the rate of divorce was 40% in the Emirati society, but cases of divorce in the countryside was lower than that in urban areas. The contemporary trend is for both the wife and the husband to take part in internal family matters and financial family matters, as well as child care and decision making. Women in UAE are wholeheartedly taking part in this new trend, which has enabled them to gain economic independence and more autonomy. Shah (2009) notes that women’s education together with their participation in work are vital catalysts that are bringing up shifts in other elements of behavior and life of women, including their matrimonial patterns. Economically, modernization has resulted to new appetites, stresses and demands, all of which are causal factors to the increasing incidents of divorce. For instance, in the UAE, rising rents and prices of commodities , along with the aspiration to of numerous couples to lead comfy lifestyles, have resulted to profound debts, eliciting several family wrangles and in numerous cases divorce. Impacts of divorce Psychological and emotional problems on children According to Emery, and Kelly, (2003), children are the most affected when a couple divorces. Children are severely devastated by a divorce, particularly is a horrible one and when there is an intense or prolonged custody battle. Children from divorced families show delinquent behavior. They regularly break rules, abuse drugs and alcohol, display destructive behavior and have frequent feelings of guilt. They also withdraw or isolate themselves from family and friends, engage in early or increased sexual activity, have thoughts of violence or suicide and the failure to accept responsibility (Laumann-Billings, & Emery, 2000). Nazzal (2001) notes that a survey by the Emirati ministry of labor and social affairs established that children from divorced spouses were the major victims of crime and the rate of criminal behavior amongst these children was high, which is a key social problem. Children from divorced parents have low self esteem and they believe that they the cause of their parent’s divorce or did they did a wrong thing that made their father or mother to stay away from them. Divorce also makes children to feel insecure, for fears that both the father and mother will abandon the children. In addition, absence of one of the parent makes children to have a feeling of extreme loneliness (Emery & Kelly, 2003), Social impacts In gulf nations, the family acts as the primary organized social unit. This significance is based on the reality that the family is the key social institution via which members of the society inherit their cultural and social identities, and also get social support and economic stability. All members of the society cooperate to ensure continuation of the family via commitments based upon reciprocity and interdependence. Nowadays, divorce is a key factor in a wide range of upcoming societal problems adversely influencing sanctity of the family along with the welfare of its members. The termination of a marriage is interruptive to members of the family, and its adverse impacts fall particularly hard on women and children (Hasso, 2010). Psychological and emotional problems on women Tomppert, & Nazir, S., (2005 argue that divorce might be liberating and lifesaving, especially for females caught in emotionally or physically abusive marriages. However, divorce is a distressing experience with hard repercussions in several aspects of living, as a result of regional traditions surrounding divorce. According to Uhlman (2004), customary divorce laws within Gulf nations acknowledge that power is possessed by the husband, who is the senior most member of the family. Husbands have the authority to make decisions and power over female members of the family. Majority of divorced mothers suffer psychological and physical abuse at hands of their ex-husbands who normally not willing to pay money for child maintenance or permit wives to take custody of their kids. Majority of women thus choose to stay in unhappy marriages so as to continue being close to their children. Securing financial rights after divorce is hard for women because though family laws contain legal protections and rights for women after divorce, they aren’t completely implemented by Sharia courts since the patriarchal traditions and norms of the Gulf States usually transcend regulations and rules (Welchman, 2004). Conclusion Divorce has become a common social problem in the UAE The increased rate of divorce has be caused by several factors such as early marriages, poor or lack of communication between married people and socio-economic changes which has made women to become more socially, financially and economically independent. Divorce has several negative impacts on families and the entire UAE society. Children from divorced families have emotional and psychological problems and usually display low self esteem and delinquent behavior. Divorce also leads to breakdown of the family as the main social institution from which members inherit cultural and social identities. References Emery, E., & Kelly, B., (2003). Children’s adjustments following divorce: Risk and resiliency perspectives. Family relations, 52, 352-362. Constatine, Z., (2010). Root causes of divorce lie in poor communication, survey finds. Retrieved on November 18, 2011 from www.nachosg.com/2010/.../el-divorcio-en-un-pais Hasso., F., (2010).Consuming desires: family crisis and the state in the Middle East. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Uhlman, K. (2004), Overview of Shari’a and Prevalent Customs in Islamic Societies: Divorce and Child Custody, Expert Law. Shah, N., (2009). Women’s socioeconomic characteristics and marital patterns in a rapily Muslim society. Nazzal, N., (2001). Study: Early marriage likely cause of divorce in UAE. Retrieved on November 18, 2011 from genderindex.org/country/united-arab-emirates Welchman, L., (2004).Women and Muslim family in Arab states: a comparative overview of textual developemt and advocacy. Amsterdam: Amesterdam University Press. Brentano, C., & Clarke-Stewart., (2007). Divorce: Causes and consequences. Yale: Yale University Press. Tomppert, L., & Nazir, S., (2005). Women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Citizenship and justice. Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield. Laumann-Billings., & Emery, E., (2000). Distress among youths in divorced families. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 671-687. Read More