Malaysia Divorce Rates Skyrocket 105%

Those who believe that skyrocketing divorce rates are a "western world" phenomenon

need look no further than Malaysia to shatter that view, because divorce rates in that country have increased a whopping 105% over the past 8 years.

As reported by the New Straits Times, the surprising statistic comes via researcher John Emmanuel Kiat, a Statistics and Cognition tutor at the HELP University College. Kiat compared divorce rates in 2002 and 2009, and noted an increase from 16,013 to 32,763 or 105%.

While Kiat considers all of this to be "statistically significant," it's a more outspoken assessment by Anjli Doshi-Gandhi of Malaysia's National Population and Family Development Board, which counsels 700-800 troubled couples a year, that gets to the heart of the issue: the public's perception of the institution of marriage is changing.

"[In the past], being divorced was embarrassing and families lost face," Doshi- Gandhi commented. "Now, people are more open. Times have changed[but] marriages must be strengthened. We don't want what's happening in developed countries, where divorce rates are very high, to happen here."

Also shedding insight into the "statistically significant" crisis is Psychologist Charis Wong, who points out that many young Malaysian couples have unrealistic expectations of marriage, and fail to understand that it takes more than romantic attachment to make a marriage work; it takes share values, commitment, and old fashioned hard work.

"The moment a marriage becomes challenging, they become disillusioned, frustrated and give up easily," Wong lamented.

And it's not just that divorces are on the way up -- fertility and marriage rates aren't keeping pace. Kiat noted that in 2002, there were 9.6 marriages for every divorce, but by 2009, that number had dipped more than 30% to 6.1.

"The high ratio of divorce over the number of marriages is a cause for concern. The rising rate may be a contributory factor to falling fertility," Wong warned.

Malaysia Divorce Rates Skyrocket 105%

By: Josh D. Simon

POST COMMENT

When Should You Hire A Divorce Attorney Three Things You'll Be Able To Do To Stop A Divorce When Getting Divorced-how To Be Prepared Montgomery County Divorce Records Maryland Laws and Restrictions of Divorce in Thailand How Do You Want To Be Remembered After Divorce? Common reasons why people get divorced Hiring A Divorce Attorney Stop Divorce With Books Where You Are Is Just Fine, Even In The Middle Of A Divorce How Do I Keep My Husband From Filing For Divorce? I Want To Stop Him From Filing For A Divorce. How Can I Do This? Missouri Divorce Records