Goa splitsville: Six divorces per week in 2010

Preetu Venugopalan Nair, TNN, Feb 7, 2011, 06.01am IST

PANAJI: Goa registered 793 divorce applications—or a little over two divorce pleas a day—last year. Of these, almost 307 got divorced. In other words, in the land of sun, sand and sea, almost six couples said "I don't" every week in 2010.

Law department data reveals that the number of divorce applications has been steadily rising in Goa. While 750 applications were received in 2008, the number rose to 770 in 2009 and to 793 last year. Moreover, North Goa accounts for most of the applications, with 583—or almost 12 couples seeking separation every week—received in 2010 and 578 in 2009. South Goa received 210 pleas in 2010 and 192 in 2009. While courts settled 318 divorce cases in 2009, 292 couples got divorced in 2008.

Marriage counsellors and social scientists believe Goans' dependence on foreign jobs is linked to the increasing number of divorce petitions. Also emancipation of women has led to an increase in divorces as husbands and even mothers-in-law refuse to accept the changing role of man and woman in society, counsellors say.

"This is largely because the patriarchal attitude of men has not changed, while women's attitude towards life has changed. Women have now to play a dual role—that of homemaker and professional—and she is expected to balance both roles efficiently. This leads to differences between the couples. Also, in most cases the MIL (mother-in-law) factor is a major problem as men tend to remain tied to their mother's apron strings and prefer to sit on the fence rather than stand up for their wives," said Caroline Colaco, an advocate.

Pointing out that today's couples are "educated, qualified professionals who know their rights and don't mind asserting themselves", psychiatrist Dr Ajoy Estibeiro said that often couples' career demands are so huge that they don't have time to nurture their relationships. "Due to this they soon become a burden to each other and to escape each other get into extra-marital affairs which ultimately spell doom for the marriage."

Estibeiro added that with the joint-family system collapsing, the most affected in a divorce are the children and the partner who doesn't have any support system. "Children are the worst sufferers of broken homes and we have seen that often they become extremely manipulative," said Estibeiro.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goa-splitsville-Six-divorces-per-week-in-2010/articleshow/7440771.cms