Divorce rates show remarkable increase

The past few decades have shown a remarkable rise in divorce rates in Poland. Recently the new “divorce rates report” was published by Gazeta Wyborcza. According to the report, Polish marriages are starting to follow a general tendency seen across Europe. Almost everywhere the probability of divorce has been significantly increasing over time. From January until July 2007 as many as 47,000 Polish marriages ended in divorce.

In the same period of 2002, there were 45,000 marriage breakups, an increase of 2,000 divorces within five years. The statistics found that the tendency is more common in urban environments than in small villages. In about 70 percent of cases, it is the woman who files for divorce. Among the main factors leading to marriage dissolutions, the statistics highlight alcoholism, domestic violence, physical cruelty and extramarital relationships. Findings also suggest that physical abuse is more prevalent amongst lower income classes.

People with a higher degree of education name the difference of characters and marital infidelity as the main motives for divorce. Although sometimes, the reason for a divorce is more prosaic – the couple split because of the attitude towards political issues. The average length at which the majority of marriages break up is 13 years. People in their 30s who have also been married between 5 and 9 years have the highest chance of divorce. The majority of previously married men and women marry again.One of the main reasons for the increase in divorce rates is that divorce no longer carries its former social stigma for “ex-spouses.”