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

Latest items for ATDW-PRACTICE-3

Jan. 4, 2024, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Men are required to maintain their ex-wives during the iddah. Men are also required to provide a mutaah (consolatory gift) to their ex-wives... [T]he women may also claim for emas kahwin (compulsory marriage gift) and hantaran belanja (marriage expenses). Men do not have equivalent rights against their ex-wives" (42).
Sept. 7, 2023, 12:33 p.m.
Countries: Lebanon
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Gouri [a 23-year-old woman who has suffered abuse from her husband] now believes that she was subjected to life-long conditioning that normalised her abuse. 'Women are not respected in Lebanon, because of traditions and rules in society…[like] "You cannot be divorced, it's shameful to be divorced",' she said. 'I was also conditioned to believe this, until...I said, "No, I'm not going to stay this way" ' " (para 34-35).
Aug. 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
Countries: Bulgaria
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"[M]ediation [is used] in divorce proceedings in cases of domestic violence" (13). Domestic violence is a legal ground for divorce (MV- coder comment).
June 12, 2023, 4:20 p.m.
Countries: Jordan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"[A]fter getting divorced, women are not allowed to remarry for risk of losing custody of the child under Article 171/B. Yet, Jordanian law, along with that of other countries in the region, does not impose the same restrictions on men. This makes dating for divorced mothers extremely challenging, since most women do not want to remarry for fear of losing their child" (Para.12).
Jan. 21, 2023, 8:08 a.m.
Countries: Iran
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"She never got justice for the brutal attack 12 years ago that left her permanently disfigured. Her father-in-law threw acid in her face because she had sought a divorce from her husband" (para 3). "At the end, the family threatened that the same punishment would befall her son if she pressed charges" (para 6).
June 8, 2022, 3:38 p.m.
Countries: Spain
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3, GIC-LAW-1, GIC-LAW-3

"The party also espouses what Sílvia Claveria, a politics professor at Carlos III University in Madrid, described to me as “modern sexism”: It advocates longer maternity leave and encourages women to be proud mothers, but once women want to separate from or divorce their partners, it shifts positions to take the man’s side..." (Para. 9).
March 19, 2022, 9:01 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"There’s an old saying in Afghanistan that encapsulates the country’s views on divorce: 'A woman only leaves her father’s house in the white bridal clothes, and she can only return in the white shrouds'" (para 1). "In this deeply conservative and patriarchal society, women who defy convention and seek divorce are often disowned by their families and shunned by Afghan society. Left alone, they have to fight for basic rights, such as renting an apartment, which require the involvement or guarantees of male relatives"(para 2). "Men and women in Roqia’s life distanced themselves from her. 'My mother and other relatives rejected me, saying that I had not heeded their advice...more
Jan. 6, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"The societal attitudes towards divorce are not bad in Somalia. Women are not looked down upon if she is divorcee. Actually the rate of women being divorced and then getting remarried to another man is quite high in Somalia" (1).
Sept. 5, 2021, 3:59 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Though China’s marriage law specifies that domestic violence is sufficient grounds for divorce, many courts encourage couples to try reconciling in the name of social and family harmony" (para 22). "At the root of the problem, according to activists, is a notion among police officers and the courts that divorce is bad and that marriage is the bedrock of society" (para 24). "Divorce is regarded as a personal failure, rather than as a remedy for one’s life" (para 25). "After the third beating, Ms. Liu’s in-laws tried to persuade her to stay in the marriage with promises of a car and an apartment, she said. She refused, and they have...more
July 26, 2021, 7 p.m.
Countries: Egypt
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"The government's Mawada (affection) initiative aims at keeping the unity of Egyptian families, and reducing divorce rates. Saad said that the initiative will be launched soon, adding that it will be submitted to President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in November" (para 4).
July 15, 2021, 11:17 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Women’s rights advocates say assaults in public in urban centers have become bolder in the last two years. But many of the recent attacks in the capital seem to involve personal rather than political motives, said Gholam Dastagir of Kabul police. In Kabul, at least three separate acid attacks against women were reported just in July, according to local Afghan news reports. The aim of attackers may be to punish women who might refuse a suitor, or insist on going to school or want a divorce. Families may not report the attack fearful of gossip and isolation" (Para 9).
May 15, 2021, 7:08 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"A woman who moves to her husband’s rural family home is especially vulnerable...Typically she would need to seek divorce in her husband’s local court. Often his relatives and neighbours, as well as police officers, decline to testify against a person they see as one of their own" (para 6).
Feb. 23, 2021, 9:45 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Boris Johnson has been criticised by his own backbenchers for green-lighting a law allowing no-fault divorces from as early as next month" (para 1). "The Prime Minister may face a rebellion from swathes of his own MPs during the House of Commons vote on Monday, and has been accused of rushing through the plans in lockdown, when many marriages are under increased stress" (para 2). "Dozens of conservative MPs are set to oppose the motion, however, with Sir Edward Leigh, Fiona Bruce and Sir John Hayes writing to 200 of their colleagues that the reforms would leak to 'an immediate spike in divorce rates'. The letter, seen by the Daily...more
Feb. 4, 2021, 6:11 p.m.
Countries: Turkey
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Having fled the war, Syrian women and girls are vulnerable to exploitation and increasing levels of abuse. Some look to marriage for protection, others are victims of pimps or matchmakers out for profit. Recently, a Turkish man in Gaziantep threw his 22 year-old Syrian bride from a 5th story window. Still, the stigma of divorce is so strong that some women, like Nur, a refugee living in a camp in southern Turkey, would rather risk abuse" (para 4). "But Nur has not looked into family law in Turkey. Her concern is a social one. Each Facebook message she receives erases the hope of hiding her shame" (para 35).more
Feb. 4, 2021, 6:07 p.m.
Countries: Syria
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"A friend of Eren’s married a Syrian woman last year who he said was pious and subservient. Wanting the same, Eren pursued an arranged marriage with Nur, promising her escape from the Kilis Camp on Turkey’s southern border. After he raped her repeatedly on their honeymoon, Nur fled, taking shelter at her brother’s house. But Nur says the stigma of divorce for Syrian women is unbearable, and so she prepares to reconcile with Eren" (para 3). "Having fled the war, Syrian women and girls are vulnerable to exploitation and increasing levels of abuse. Some look to marriage for protection, others are victims of pimps or matchmakers out for profit. Recently,...more
Jan. 7, 2021, 9:23 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3, DTCP-PRACTICE-1

“In their statement, during a recent media brief in Ibadan, Oyo State, they explained that “violence against women and girls remain a silent killer that has taken the lives of many. The health outcomes go beyond the direct result of physical, psychological or mental health issue.’ According to them, “violence against women and girls in Nigeria is against the law and survivors do not usually receive full legal support, as they prefer to stay in abusive relationships than leave to face the ridicule of living outside relationships and or wedlock. Women and girls subjected to violence are unwilling to lodge formal complaint due to a lack of trust in the...more
Dec. 24, 2020, 10:09 a.m.
Countries: Syria
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Eren pursued an arranged marriage with Nur, promising her escape from the Kilis Camp on Turkey’s southern border. After he raped her repeatedly on their honeymoon, Nur fled, taking shelter at her brother’s house. But Nur says the stigma of divorce for Syrian women is unbearable, and so she prepares to reconcile with Eren" (para 3). "[T]he stigma of divorce is so strong that some women, like Nur, a refugee living in a camp in southern Turkey, would rather risk abuse" (4, 37).
Dec. 18, 2020, 6:58 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

“Critics have said the need to point the finger makes formal separation more acrimonious and risks upsetting children. Under the new bill, couples will simply have to give notice that a marriage has broken down beyond repair” (para. 6). “Mr Gauke will set the ball rolling on new legislation in May. He published a consultation paper last September, which received more than 600 responses. He told The Times: ‘[They] were overwhelmingly in support which is why I remain as convinced as I have been for the need to reform this particular area’” (para. 7-8).
Oct. 3, 2020, 6:25 p.m.
Countries: Iraq
Variables: MARR-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-3

“W.H. v. Sweden (no. 49341/10) (8 April 2015 (Grand Chamber)): This case concerned an asylum seeker’s threatened expulsion from Sweden to Iraq, where she alleged she would be at risk of ill-treatment as a single woman of Mandaean denomination, a vulnerable ethnic/religious minority. The applicant submitted that, a divorcee belonging to a small, vulnerable ethnic/religious minority, she would be at real risk of inhuman and degrading treatment if returned to Iraq. She alleged in particular that, without a male network or any remaining relatives in Iraq, she would be at risk of persecution, assault, rape, forced conversion to another religion and forced marriage. The Court observed that the applicant had...more
Oct. 1, 2020, 9:17 a.m.
Countries: Saudi Arabia
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

He pointed out that the new regulations are meant to protect Saudi families and reduce the high rate of divorce, saying that 'early marriage sometimes can cause health problems and increase the chances of divorce' (para 4).
May 31, 2020, 4:27 p.m.
Countries: North Korea
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Population administration institutions, upon being notified by neighbours concerned of family disputes arising in the area under their control, used their best efforts to guide them towards amicable settlement. The courts before which a divorce case was brought due to family dispute conducted education of the persons involved at the stages of lawyers’ counselling and fact-finding by judges with a view to guiding them to reconciliation. Since 2003, about 30 per cent of divorce-related cases were resolved through reconciliation between the parties" (12).
May 29, 2020, 12:04 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"because women typically have no say in who their fathers arrange for them to marry, a small percentage flee abusive husbands and obtain divorces — a decision that requires immense courage" (para 4). "If you divorce, you have gone through the trouble of leaving your spouse and getting a divorce. You are not a good woman for doing that. They have an expression here in Afghanistan: You go to your husband's house with a white dress and you leave it with a white dress, referring to the white sheet they wrap around a dead body before they bury them. It's something that is said pretty often" (para 10).more
April 24, 2020, 9:56 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"African women are often excluded from social and economic plans -- safety nets they desperately need -- after the death of a spouse or dissolution of a marriage, experts from the World Bank said in a 2018 report." (63).
April 22, 2020, 5:16 p.m.
Countries: Lebanon
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Sunni and Shia laws in Lebanon grant men an absolute right to divorce while women only have a conditional right to divorce. Under these laws, spouses may agree to share the right to dissolve the marriage by giving the wife the `isma, or the power to divorce without her husband’s consent. In practice, this is rarely done and largely rejected by society" (12). "A review of 65 Sunni court cases where women successfully filed for severance shows that Sunni courts often find women partially culpable for the failure of the marriage –even when the husband beat them—thus reducing their pecuniary rights." (12). "First, all Christian personal status laws hold that...more
April 19, 2020, 11:08 a.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Divorced, separated, and widowed women are more likely to have experienced physical violence (41%) than currently married women (27%)" (305). "Fourteen percent of divorced, separated, or widowed women have experienced sexual violence. By contrast, only 5% of currently married women have experienced sexual violence, with 4% experiencing such violence in the past 12 months" (306).
Jan. 2, 2020, 4:03 p.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Kim Jin-ju decided she wanted a divorce. 'I was just done living as a punchbag for my husband to let out his frustrations on,' the mother of two said. She is one of a growing number of women walking out of their marriages in the country" (para 1-3). "Divorce is still seen as a taboo subject in South Korea’s conservative society, but attitudes are gradually changing as women become empowered and more people experience divorce, especially high-profile celebrities such as the 'Song-Song couple', Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, stars of the hit Korean drama Descendents of the Sun, who filed for divorce in June" (para 3). "'The reasons for divorce...more
May 16, 2019, 7:41 p.m.
Countries: Iraq
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"Local and international NGOs reported that the practice of husbands or their families threatening to divorce wives they married when the girls were very young (ages 12 to 16) to pressure the girl’s family to provide additional money to the girl’s husband and his family also occurred, particularly in the south. Victims of these forced divorces were compelled to leave their husbands and their husbands’ families, and social customs regarding family honor often prevented victims from returning to their own families, leaving some adolescent girls abandoned" (44).
May 16, 2019, 3:43 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"My client felt unable to move on with her own life until she could divorce her husband. However, her husband was refusing the divorce and she was being pressurised by the family and community to remain within the marriage. Further pressure came from religious arbitrators, who told her leaving her husband was ‘haram’ (forbidden) and advised her, with complete disregard for UK child maintenance law, that if she left her husband, he’d have no financial responsibility for her children." (para. 8). "She wanted to divorce but her husband said he would only continue to pay the mortgage, household expenses and financially support the children if she performed her ‘wifely duties’....more
May 14, 2019, 3:25 p.m.
Countries: Niger
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"But for Ms. Amadou, who married at 16, simply having a husband was not enough. She never wanted to depend on a man in the first place. So, on a busy morning in Maradi, Niger, she sat in front of a judge at a crowded Islamic court on the sidewalk and asked for what young women across the region are seeking like never before: a divorce" (para 3). This implies that divorce was not commn, but now it is becoming accpetable (CCS-CODER COMMENT). "They want to choose whom and when to marry, not be pushed into marriages like so many generations of women before them. They demand respect and, better...more
May 14, 2019, 3:06 p.m.
Countries: Ghana
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-3

"In Ghana, 73 percent of divorce cases handled by the Legal Aid Scheme of Greater Accra were filed by women in 2016-2017, a big shift from the past. Divorce, once considered taboo for conservative Christians, is being presented in some church sermons as a better option than ending up with domestic violence or adultery" (para 20).