Both the adherents and the non-adherents of religion concur that the harmony and civilization that the world has been enjoying in the past century has been possible due to organization. Standards have been set to guide and limit the ever insatiable needs of men, thereby defining laws that protect the interests of the oppressed. Laws regulate the life everywhere, for example, at homes, institutions, and even within marriages, among the others. Christians and Muslims alike consider religious rules to be divine such that no one can see the kingdom of heaven without adhering to relevant laws. This discussion focuses on the termination of marriage and the effects it has on women in both the Eastern and the Western worlds.
Scholars have defined marriage as a legally recognized relationship between a man and a woman. It permits the two parties become a husband and a wife. Divorce, on the other hand, is the official termination of a marriage by the decision of a court of law. This decision often has far-reaching consequences on both the men and the women, but most people argue that the females bear the brunt of divorce. Today, marriage and divorce go hand in hand because many marriages end up in divorce.
Unfortunately, a divorced woman is always at a disadvantage in everything she does because in most cases, she lacks the support of a male. Unlike the unmarried young woman who is easily noticeable by suitors, a divorced woman may not attract a man as easily as depicted in movies. In real life, a divorced woman has to grapple with plenty of challenges before she finds a potential partner. The challenges take a variety of forms ranging from financial constraints to intimidation by the former husband.
Without husband’s financial support, woman is often in a financial crisis, especially if there are children under her care. Typically, the average divorced woman has less money as compared to the average married woman since divorce is associated with economic vulnerability. Further, divorced women experience mental distress and psychological problems. Their physical health is in most cases poorer compared to married women. Apparently, divorce makes a woman feel hurt, lonely, and unhappy even if it was initiated by the woman. Consequently, divorced women find it hard to trust other men.
There are, however, exceptional cases in which divorce leads to a happier and healthier life for a woman. For instance, a woman who reveals from a violent marriage will experience peace, freedom, and limited restrictions. Unfortunately, these benefits can never match the adverse effects of divorce.
Islam, one of the major religions of the world, does not espouse divorce. It cautions its followers to carefully handle marriage problems and outlines the steps that spouses need to take to facilitate reconciliation should a threatening conflict arise. However, if divorce becomes inevitable, the procedure to be followed is stipulated within the Muslim doctrine. A man who divorces his wife without concrete reasons is considered a sinner because Islamic view of marriage is that it is a religious requirement to fulfill God’s purpose through man. It further stipulates that male believer’s pathway to heaven is through his parents while that of a woman is with the help of her husband.
The implication of such a claim is that a woman should try as much as possible to be in harmony with the husband to diminish chances of a divorce. Muslims have been taught to believe that of all the permitted acts, God hates divorce the most. Unfortunately, many Muslims do not adhere to these teachings. Consequently, the rights of Muslim women are violated. Only a few are allowed to complete education, besides being restricted from entering mosques.
In contrast, Western culture is the primary advocate of women empowerment, freedom, and equality. However, family relations experts caution that when there is equality in a relationship, a conflict of preferences comes into play. The Western world boasts of the largest number of educated, working women who, by virtue of their commitment to their jobs, usually fail to give adequate attention to their relationships. Consequently, the Western world registers unmatched rates of divorce. This aspect has led many to question the validity of Christianity, which is the predominant religion in the West. Intriguingly, Christianity regards marriage as an important commitment. As such, it abhors divorce. However, the vows never last causing the Western world to lead in divorce rates.
It is, therefore, evident that, besides the strict religious practices in the Muslim world, the alienation of women as far as their rights are concerned is a factor that contributes to lower rates of divorce. In contrast, the Western world has both liberated women by empowering them and also undermined one of the fundamental institutions of life, marriage. Should Muslim women be empowered educationally, it is argued that they will most likely adopt the principle of equality, thereby raising the number of divorce cases in the East. Therefore, couples should respect their marriage commitments at all times so that divorce can be eliminated from the society to minimize the challenges that women undergo.