While 'Triple Talaq' Leaves Muslim Women Vulnerable, Women In Other Faiths Too Bear Divorce Brunt

While the condition of Muslim women in India has arguably deteriorated over the years with four divorced Muslim women as compared to one divorced Muslim man, the condition of women in other faiths, in terms of divorce, not good either.

According to 2011 census, the ratio of divorced Muslim men against Muslim women is 21:79 which means that 80% of divorced Muslims in India are women. It also means that it's far easier for a Muslim men to remarry in comparison to a Muslim women who is divorced by her husband.

AFP/representational image

Among Hindus too, the divorced women (6.18 lakh) form far bigger a number than men (3.44) who live a divorced life. Sikhs in India are the only exception where the number of divorced men is higher to divorced women which means that more Sikh women is remarrying than the divorced Sikh men.

Among divorced Indian women, 68 per cent are Hindu, and 23.3 per cent are Muslims, Census 2011 data on the marital status of Indians whereas as far as divorced men are concerned, Hindus account for 76 per cent, and Muslims, 12.7 per cent.

Surprisingly, both Christian women and men cover 4.1 per cent of their gender-respective divorced groups.

Hindus or Muslims, more women remain divorced than men

AFP

According to 2011 census, the number of Hindu women who are divorced is 6,18,529 whereas men form nearly half of this number with a 3,44,281 men living a divorced life.

In Muslim too, this situation further deteriorated as a total of 2,12,074 Muslim women are living a divorced life in comparison to a total 57, 335 Muslim men means that there is four divorced Muslim women per divorced Muslim man.

Sikh are the only exception

Things are no different among both Buddhists and Jains, where the ratio between divorced men and women has huge disparity. Sikhs are the only exception as the data suggest that more Sikh women remarry after getting separated from their spouse. According to 2011 date, there are only a total of 13,732 divorced Sikh women in comparison to a total of 19,155 divorced Sikh men.

More women are separated than men

The census data of 2011 show that 2 in every 3 separated Hindus are women. In India, more women are separated out of a marriage without a formal divorce which legal bound them to not to remarry, whereas they remain living a lonely life.

While within religious communities, the highest imbalance of separated women-to-men ratio has been recorded among Muslims, with women accounting for 75 per cent of the separated population. Christian women, who comprised 69 per cent of the separated population within their community, follow.

Another significant disparity has been recorded among Buddhists, where separated women comprised 68 per cent of the demographic group within their community.

BCCL/Representational image

Among Muslims, a total of 2,87,618 women live separately from their husband without being formally divorced against a total of 97,120 Muslim men which account for thrice the number of Muslim men living separately. Similarly in Hindus too, a number of women (1,904,390) living separately is almost twice (9,66,295) to Hindu men.

Here Sikhs are dong far better than other as a total of 24,965 Sikh women live separately against a total number of 24, 448 Sikh men which again hails for the almost equal status, women enjoy in Sikhism.

Over the decade ending 2011, there was a 39 per cent rise in the number of single Indian women including widows, divorcees and unmarried women, and those deserted by husbands.

Maharashtra has most divorced women

According to the Census 2011, Maharashtra, with 2.09 lakh persons, recorded the highest number of divorced citizens. The second-most populous state also holds the largest disproportion of men-to-women divorcees. About 73.5 per cent or 1.5 lakh divorced persons in the state are women.

Nearly 60 per cent of India's population still reside in rural and semi rural areas and here a total population of 8.5 lakh divorced persons live which also show the more marriages are failing in rural area against the urban where a total of 5.03 lakh divorced persons live.