The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for ATDW-LAW-4

June 20, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
Countries: Nicaragua
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"One or both parties may, without the need to cite any grounds whatsoever, request the dissolution of the marriage or de facto union." (32).
April 1, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Uzbekistan
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"A significant contribution to the development of gender legislation adopted in Uzbekistan was made in 2019 by, inter alia:…[T]he Act amending and supplementing article 15 of the Family Code of 28 August 2019…"(4)(NF - CODER COMMENT - Under this legislation, one of both spouses can file for divorce. The divorce is finalized if the Court feels there is no possible reconciliation of the marriage. If filed in the civil registry office, grounds for divorce must be one of the following: missing spouse, has been declared incapacitated by the Courts due to mental illness, or imprisonment for more than 3 years). "Major steps have also been taken to eliminate outmoded national...more
Jan. 10, 2022, 10:08 a.m.
Countries: Philippines
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-5

"The law does not provide for divorce. Legal annulments and separation are possible, and courts generally recognized divorces obtained in other countries if one of the parties was a foreigner. These options, however, are costly, complex, and not readily available to the poor. The Office of the Solicitor General is required to oppose requests for annulment under the constitution. Informal separation is common but brings with it potential legal and financial problems. Muslims have the right to divorce under Muslim family law" (28).
Jan. 6, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Women can not be divorced for bearing only daughters. However, he may take up a 2nd wife and see if she will bear him some sons. The clan elders, his family, and friends might pressure him to take a second wife to have a son(s) to keep his name alive" (1).
Sept. 13, 2016, 5:02 p.m.
Countries: India
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

“Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by Muslim Personal Law for family matters and disputes. Those laws include allowing men to divorce their wives by simply uttering the word ‘talaq,’ or divorce in Urdu, three times — and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium including telephone, text message or social media post” (para 6). According to this law, Muslim men can divorce their wives for any reason, including bearing only daughters (MM - CODER COMMENT)
Aug. 26, 2016, 9:44 a.m.
Countries: Slovakia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"A court may dissolve a marriage in response to a petition by one of the spouses, provided relations between the spouses are so seriously and permanently impaired that the marriage can no longer serve its purpose and the spouses cannot be expected to resume marital cohabitation" (para 2)
Aug. 26, 2016, 8:07 a.m.
Countries: Serbia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"Divorce is very liberal in Serbia. Reasons for divorce, according to the Family Law Act, can include a seriously and permanently disturbed marital relationship and the spouses no longer being able to live together for some solid reason – for example, if a spouse has gone missing. In practice, however, a divorce is usually achieved through one of the spouses simply leaving the relationship and declaring that they no longer want to be married" (para 7)
Aug. 26, 2016, 7:24 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"The Muslim Law Act does not specify the grounds on which a Muslim man can divorce his wife but specifies the grounds on which a Muslim woman can apply for divorce. It also does not specify a minimum period before a married Muslim person can file for divorce. Research has shown that in most cases, the wife is the person who initiates the divorce and files for petition to divorce" (1099)
Aug. 26, 2016, 7:20 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"The Women’s Charter specifies the grounds for non-Muslim divorce to be irretrievable breakdown, as indicated by proof of adultery, unreasonable behavior, two years’ desertion, three years’ separation with each party’s consent, or four years’ separation without such consent" (1099)
Aug. 23, 2016, 8:33 a.m.
Countries: Sierra Leone
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Divorce in Sierra Leone may be granted on the grounds of adultery, cruelty, or desertion" (1094)
Aug. 23, 2016, 7:40 a.m.
Countries: Slovenia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"[In the past,] The diverse family laws produced inequities and severely obstructed everyday life, especially the lives of women. At the same time, the number of separated persons was increasing, especially because of the increased financial independence of women as their educational levels rose and their opportunities in the paid workforce increased. The major reasons for divorce from women’s point of view were husbands’ infidelity, physical abuse, and alcoholism; from men’s point of view, the main reasons for divorce were their wives’ sterility and infidelity.The situation changed considerably during the regime of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–92). Spousal equality was established...and when a marriage was dissolved, spouses were...more
Aug. 22, 2016, 9:03 a.m.
Countries: Solomon Islands
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"Divorce in the Solomon Islands is fault-based. The Islanders Divorce Act of 1960 provides for divorce on the grounds of adultery, desertion without cause (for a period of three years immediately preceding the petition), cruelty, incurable insanity (as proved by treatment for at least five years immediately preceding the presentation of the petition), and the husband’s guilt in perpetrating rape, sodomy, or bestiality on the wife" (1130)
Aug. 22, 2016, 8:54 a.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"If a civil marriage ends in divorce, it must be a divorce granted by a judge, and for that reason divorce is uncommon outside urban areas. In rural areas, de facto divorce by physical separation is more common, and such technically married spouses may even remarry. On the other hand, Islamic religious marriages do not require the involvement of a judge in order to end in divorce—but the power to divorce in such cases lies almost solely with the husband, who can divorce at will. Women wishing a divorce, whose husbands contest it, must show cause...Under the 1963 constitution, Senegal is a secular state. Indeed, the Islamic practice of repudiation,...more
Aug. 22, 2016, 8:53 a.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"In a judicial divorce, there are two possibilities: divorce by mutual agreement and a contested divorce. In the latter case, the judge will listen to the couple’s arguments and make a decision. Grounds for divorce include absence, adultery, criminal activity, abandonment, mistreatment, sterility, incurable illness, incompatibility, and the husband’s inability to support his wife" (1078)
Aug. 15, 2016, 11:59 a.m.
Countries: Romania
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"In 2009, reasons for divorce included domestic violence (4.6 percent), alcoholism (5.8 percent), adultery (7.5 percent), mixed causes (8.2 percent), and incompatibility (29.5 percent); 44.4 percent also cite 'other' reasons...However, no-fault divorce is increasingly frequent, especially for urban, middle-class couples" (1046). There is no record of infertility or the lack of sons as being a reason that would likely be included under the 44.4% who cite 'other' reasons for divorce (RNP-CODER COMMENT)
Aug. 15, 2016, 8:59 a.m.
Countries: Portugal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Objective grounds, that is, independent of fault are the following: de facto separation for three consecutive years; de facto separation for one year, if the divorce is requested by one of the spouses without the opposition of the other spouse; changes to the mental faculties of the other spouse;and absence without any information as to the respondent’s whereabouts for no fewer than two years" (5)
Aug. 15, 2016, 8:10 a.m.
Countries: Palestine
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"Amal Syam, director of the Women's Affairs Center in Gaza,...told Al-Monitor. 'The Palestinian personal status law is biased in favor of men, as a man can divorce his wife any time he wants, without any reasons given and without filing a lawsuit. In this case, he just has to respect the wife's financial rights. Yet, with the new decision, a man can lodge a divorce lawsuit without fulfilling his wife's rights'" (para 6)
Aug. 15, 2016, 8 a.m.
Countries: Palestine
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Even the otherwise liberal qadi, Sh. Hasan Amin al-Habash, confirmed as a matter of course polygamous marriages which he encountered incidentally to claims for maintance – footnote: in which this same qadi did refuse to permit a polygamous marriage on the basis of a husband’s claim that the wife had not borne him any sons, only daughters" (235)
Aug. 15, 2016, 7:19 a.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-PRACTICE-3, ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-5

"Historically, divorce has been considered the prerogative of men, who according to some interpretations of Islamic law have the unilateral right to divorce women. Men’s ability to divorce women with or without reason has served to maintain male dominance within marriages. The patriarchal divorce laws in Pakistan, however, have been reformed over time. Women now have the ability to initiate divorce and secure it within six months. However, a lack of awareness about divorce laws, particularly among women in the rural areas, remains a major obstacle. This along with other factors, such as widespread stigmatization of divorce, women’s economic dependence on their husbands, and limited access to legal institutions, has...more
Aug. 12, 2016, 7:14 a.m.
Countries: Niger
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-4

"A constitution ratified in 1960 established the family as a reserved domain. As a result, customary law has continued to dominate all aspects of family law. A proposed family code languished in the legislature for decades before it finally collapsed in 2006 because of the objections of religious fundamentalists. In Niger, wives are bound by Sharia law to obey their husbands, who have the right to repudiate or beat them according to their own whims. Divorces must be registered to be considered valid. Women have constitutional and legal rights to equality, but most women are relegated to subservient positions under customary law. For their entire lives, Nigerien women are controlled...more
Aug. 12, 2016, 7:14 a.m.
Countries: Niger
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-4

"A constitution ratified in 1960 established the family as a reserved domain. As a result, customary law has continued to dominate all aspects of family law. A proposed family code languished in the legislature for decades before it finally collapsed in 2006 because of the objections of religious fundamentalists. In Niger, wives are bound by Sharia law to obey their husbands, who have the right to repudiate or beat them according to their own whims. Divorces must be registered to be considered valid. Women have constitutional and legal rights to equality, but most women are relegated to subservient positions under customary law. For their entire lives, Nigerien women are controlled...more
Aug. 6, 2016, 4:29 p.m.
Countries: Netherlands
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Divorce can be petitioned in the Netherlands on the grounds that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The courts immediately accept that the marriage has broken down when one or both parties states such. There is no blame apportioned to either of the parties in Dutch law and, in principle, who is to blame for the divorce does not affect the divorce settlement. Divorce can either be petitioned jointly by both spouses or unilaterally by one spouse" (para 1)
Aug. 6, 2016, 4:24 p.m.
Countries: Netherlands
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"In the Netherlands, divorce (echtscheiding) is always on the grounds of irreparable breakdown of the marriage. There is no requirement to define or prove this, except in unusual cases where one spouse contests the divorce claiming that the marriage has not broken down" (para 5)
July 27, 2016, 4:20 p.m.
Countries: Venezuela
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Chapter XII On the dissolution of marriage and separation Section I On divorce Art.185 The following are grounds for divorce 1) Adultery 2) Voluntary abandonment 3) Excesses, extreme cruelty and/or grave offenses that make conjugal life impossible 4) The intention of one of the spouses to corrupt or prostitute the other spouse or the children or the tolerance of their corruption or prostitution. 5) A jail sentence 6) Alcohol addiction and other forms of dependence on pharmaceuticals that make conjugal life unbearable. 7) Interdiction due to grave psychiatric problems that make conjugal life impossible.” Bearing only daughters is not explicitly cited as grounds for divorce; this was translated from Spanish...more
July 27, 2016, 4:13 p.m.
Countries: Mexico
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

Chapter X On Divorce Art.267 The following are grounds for divorce I. Adultery and proof thereof provided by on of the spouses II. If the woman delivers a child that was conceived before the marriage and this child is declared illegitimate. III. The husband's proposal to prostitute his wife, not only when he explicitly propose it, but when he has received money or any kind of remuneration with the explicit intent to prostitute his wife. IV. If one spouse encourages the other to violence to commit a crime, even if this is not prostitution. V. Immoral acts executed by the husband or the wife to corrupt their children, as well...more
July 27, 2016, 3:24 p.m.
Countries: Uruguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

“Section I Legal separation Art.148 A legal separation can only take place: 1) Because either one of the spouses was adulterous 2) Because of a condemned attempt against the life of the other spouse 3) Because of deep offenses against each other. The judge will determine what is considered a deep offense according to the degree of education and condition of the offended spouse. 4) Because the husbands proposes to prostitute his wife 5) Because either spouse intends to prostitute the children. 6) When there are constant and continuous fights between the spouses that make conjugal life unbearable. 7) If one spouse is sentenced to over 10 years in prison....more
July 27, 2016, 3:24 p.m.
Countries: Uruguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

“Section I Legal separation Art.148 A legal separation can only take place: 1) Because either one of the spouses was adulterous 2) Because of a condemned attempt against the life of the other spouse 3) Because of deep offenses against each other. The judge will determine what is considered a deep offense according to the degree of education and condition of the offended spouse. 4) Because the husbands proposes to prostitute his wife 5) Because either spouse intends to prostitute the children. 6) When there are constant and continuous fights between the spouses that make conjugal life unbearable. 7) If one spouse is sentenced to over 10 years in prison....more
July 26, 2016, 5:21 p.m.
Countries: Peru
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"Art. 333 These are causes for separation (of bodies/ bodily separation): 1) Adultery. 2) Psychological or physical violence as determined by the judge according to the circumstances. 3) An attempt against the spouses life. 4) A grave offense, that makes conjugal life unbearable. 5)The unjustified abandonment of the conjugal home for over 2 consecutive years or when all abandonment periods add up to more than 2 years. 6) Inappropriate/ dishonourable behaviour that makes conjugal life unbearable. 7) Habitual and unjustified use of hallucinogenic drugs or substances that can generate toxicomania, except for what is permitted by Art. 347. 8) The infection with a sexually transmitted disease after the celebration of...more
July 26, 2016, 1:17 p.m.
Countries: Portugal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"What are the reasons to file for divorce? In the case of divorce based on a mutual agreement, the spouses don'T have to reveal the grounds for divorce. If divorce is filed without the consent of one of the spouses a)A de facto separation for a consecutive year, the lack of a conjugal life between the spouses without the intent to reunite be it from one or both of them is considered a de facto separation b) A change in the mental faculties of the other spouse that lasts longer than a year and depending on its severity, compromises the possibility of a conjugal life. c) The absence without any...more
July 26, 2016, 1:09 p.m.
Countries: Paraguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"'Art. 4.º Son causales de divorcio: a) cometer un hecho punible, ya sea como autor, participe o instigador, contra el otro cónyuge o de los hijos, sean o no comunes. b) instigar al otro cónyuge a cometer hechos punibles; c) realizar injurias graves contra el otro cónyuge, la que se entiende como toda acción u omisión imputable que ofende directa o indirectamente al otro en sus afecciones legítimas de marido o mujer. d) la interdicción declarada judicialmente; e) el estado habitual de embriaguez o el uso reiterado de drogas estupefacientes cuando hicieren insoportable la vida conyugal, así como el juego de azar cuando amenace la ruina familiar; f) el abandono...more