“For the whole country, in 2014, there were 33,954 divorce cases; in 2015, with roughly 133,000 marriage contracts, there were roughly 40,000 divorces. This year, there have been some 157,000 marriages and roughly 46,000 divorces, meaning that almost 30 percent of couples end up separating. In the United States, roughly half of all marriages end in divorce,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Arranged marriages and gender segregation are thought to be factors in the split-up spike, but many are also noting that women are speaking out more against abusive men, as the stigma around divorce in the kingdom has begun to fade. For the first time, many divorces are being initiated by the woman.
A wife must obtain the husband’s consent when requesting a divorce, in a process known as Khula. The husband also acts as the legal guardian for the wife throughout the proceedings.
“Sometimes the only way a woman can get a divorce is by filing an extraction to give up all of her rights and pay him all of the money he had given to her (over the course of the marriage),” a Saudi lawyer identified only as Jana told the Post.
Husbands are also likely to get custody of the children once they reach the age of seven.
Under sharia law, for a husband to divorce his wife it is as easy as reciting a word three times — or even sending the recitation in a text message — and there is no fee for the husband. The practice, known as Talaq, requires no legal reasoning or explanation. The husband must simply say, or text, to his wife, “Talaq, Talaq, Talaq,” and it’s over.
Under the nation’s sharia law, men are permitted to marry as many as four women at a time, and the figure includes marrying children, as there is no minimum age for marriage. Impoverished parents still marry off daughters for money.
“Islam does encourage marriage between a man and a woman,” Saudi national Daad Alhakami told The Media Line. “It regulates the urges and needs of humans to make families and bring children to life.”
