A Sociological study about the tendency of Divorce in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to identify the Divorce tendency of a selected area in Sri Lanka. The legality of such marriages can be obtained through law or by the values of the society in question. In accordance with the modern law, this is commonly conducted by registering this marriage in a place of religious significance to a couple, such as a Hindu temple or a catholic church. Divorce on the other hand, can be defined as a legally acceptable action that can end this kind of formal unions. Today, the act of divorce functions as a serious crisis amongst many countries of the world. However, with regard to the divorce trends in Sri Lanka, it is evident that there’s a substantial improvement in the present. Sri Lanka’s law considers three main factors for a divorce, which is, adultery, the abject abandonment and the incurable impotence. Moreover, in comparison to 42% in the United Kingdom, the divorce rate is reported to be approximately 1.5% of the population in Sri Lanka. Even though it shows a rudimentary tendency towards divorce compared to the developed countries, it is comparatively higher and is growing significantly than before. In an eastward cultural background, the family cooperation in Sri Lanka is of a strong entity. And in the case of marriage in Sri Lanka, the man regarded as the head of the household and there constantly prevails the concept of male-domination in the family. In this context, the research problem was “what are the social impacts caused by divorce in Sri Lanka?”. The hypothesis of this research was the fact that ‘’the divorce imposes both negative and positive impacts on a person”. The research methods used for collection and assimilation of data were observation, Questionnaire, Interviews and Case Studies. This research was through mainly primary data such as surveys and interviews along with secondary data such as raw data collection. Gampaha district in the Western province of Sri Lanka was selectively chosen as the field of research and fifty divorced individuals were examined for this research. Getting married at an immature age and separation within a short span of time was proven to be the main root of divorce in the present Sri Lankan society, even though it is little less when compared to other countries. The research found that divorce can bring negative consequences on the husband, the wife and children whilst at the same time having certain benefits as well. Thus proving that divorce can be defined as something creates social issues while possessing certain benefits