Indians Prefer Living Separately Than Getting A Divorce, Census Data Claims This For All Religions

While there is no denying that the regressive practice of triple talaq needs to end, just how prevalent is it in the Muslim community and how are divorce and separation handled in other religious communities? The share of divorced women is indeed high among Muslims ¡ª 5 for every 1,000 ever married women, according to Census 2011.

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This is twice the rate among Hindus, but almost the same as Christians and less than that among Buddhists.

Also Read: Pune Courts Grants Divorce To Couple Living Separated In Singapore And London, Over Skype

But a different picture emerges when one looks at separation, another common way in which legally married couples split up. This may or may not be followed by divorce. In our male-dominated society, it often means abandonment by the husband.

The share of separated women among Muslims is 6.7 per 1,000 ever married women. This is less than the rate among Hindu women (6.9) and almost half the rate for Christian and Buddhist women.

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Combined, separated and divorced women make up 9.1 of every 1,000 ever married women among Hindus and 11.7 among Muslims.

Also Read: As Hearing On 'Triple Talaq' Continues, Supreme Court Calls It The 'Worst And Undesirable' Way

This gap has shrunk as it appears that among Hindus, separation is more easily embraced and socially acceptable than a complicated legal battle. For those concerned about injustice to women, this too needs to be considered.

Among Christians and Buddhists, the combined rate of separation and divorce is 16.6 and 17.6 ¡ª almost 50% more than Hindus and Muslims.

Among the six major religious communities in India, Jain and Sikh women have the lowest separation or divorce rates at 6.3 per 1,000 ever married women.

This could be because of higher educational levels and better income among families of these two communities, or it could be the result of more social control.

Comparing 2011 with 2001 shows that in Buddhist communities, the increase in share of separated and divorced women is the least at 34%, followed closely by Muslims with 39% and then Hindus at 40%.

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The most dramatic rise is shown in the Sikh community (108%), possibly due to breakdown or abandonment after marriages with partners settled abroad.

From this decadal change, it does not appear that triple talaq is pushing an increasing number of Muslim women into divorce.

Another dimension evident from Census data is that the total number of separated and divorced women among Hindus is almost five times that among Muslims.

This is not really surprising because the population of Hindus is about five times that of Muslims.

However, it highlights the need for better laws across all religious communities for separated/abandoned women who get no maintenance or support from husbands.