The number of divorce cases in the Kingdom is increasing compared to the number of citizens. The divorce rate has been some 20 percent for the last couple of years. It means that 33 Saudi women are divorced every day.
Divorce is a psychological and social problem. In many developed countries the rate increased markedly during the 20th century. With all life’s daily pressures and chaos, people are prone to become easily irritated and agitated, making divorce decisions without paying close attention to real problems or trying to solve them.
Incompatibility is another major issue that increases divorce. There has to be intellectual compatibility, physical compatibility and emotional compatibility of a married couple; otherwise life is impossible.
Differences in traditions and customs that vary from one family to the other and from one society to the other in addition to intellectual inheritances some times impact negatively on marriages.
Saudi Arabia recently recognized the dangers from hereditary diseases and the threat they have on the country’s economy and health sectors. The Kingdom recently made premarital medical tests mandatory. The Ministry of Health’s decision was welcomed by all in order to reduce cases of hereditary disease.
Since divorce has became a dilemma worrying many families, we have to come up with a program or some training which will prepare couples for marriage. The Health Ministry, the Social Affairs Ministry and training centers must join hands to offer such programs. People are never free from social issues and complications, moods, attitudes or certain behavior that don’t work well with the opposite sex. Marriage is not just about the wedding night or the wedding gown. People lack social skills to deal with each other which leads to quick negative decisions.
As a human behavioral expert, I have noticed that the nature of humans leads them to beliefs, interpretations and analyses. These might be positive but they might also lead to negative reactions. And the better the person is with communications, the more balanced he becomes socially and professionally and that will result in better psychological health.
