According to the High Court, more than 60 percent of divorce cases in Bulawayo this year were filed by women.
Of the 139 divorce applications filed in the Bulawayo High Court as of the end of last month, 64 percent were instigated by women.
Nine of them have already been completed.
This follows a figure of 658 divorces last year – a pattern which the area has seen on the rise over the past 12 months according to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).
Psychologist Ms. Jacqueline Nkomo believes that this trend reflects women’s increasing financial independence, enabling them to prioritize their well-being over marital endurance.
She said that the modern woman’s decision to divorce is often a deliberate choice to escape the burdensome demands of married life.
“Emotional fulfillment is another driving force because when emotional needs are not met, marriages falter. Women are no longer willing to sacrifice their emotional well-being for marital stability, and will not settle for less than they deserve,” she added.
“Reports indicate that although men easily engage in extramarital affairs, they cannot bear the same thing happening to them; some even kill themselves when they find out that their wives are cheating on them.
“So, while women appreciate the need for forgiveness in a relationship, there must be measures that can be taken, and if one sees that they are constantly being taken advantage of, they can divorce without having to take revenge on unfaithful men.
Gone are the days when women had to put up with any senseless behavior in the name of saving the marriage. “These days, they are impatient and will leave without thinking twice.”
Ms Nkomo said that amidst the empowerment lay the painful reality of the emotional damage of divorce because no decision is made without pain or heartache.
For Mr Shepherd Shingarand, a legal practitioner at Sansol & Senda Law Firm, women no longer have that ability to face the challenges that come with maintaining relationships.
He said social media also holds women to high and sometimes unrealistic standards, which ordinary men in Zimbabwe cannot easily meet.
“The laws regarding divorce also make it easy for women. They don’t need as much as before; ‘We have irreconcilable differences’ is enough and the court cannot force them to stay in the marriage.
“Women are now aware of their rights and do not accept mistreatment or anything that contradicts their well-being, unlike women in the old days, who could stay in an unhappy marriage just to provide for themselves and their children,” he said. Chengarand.
“Women are now liberated, and if things become difficult, they will not hesitate to leave the marriage without rethinking. There are also a number of unrealistic expectations from both parties, and sometimes people fail to be realistic and deal with the reality on the ground, which results in many… Sometimes it leads to divorce.”
Ms Abigail Siziba, Gender Affairs Officer at the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, said empowerment played a pivotal role in the informed decisions women choose to make regarding relationships.
“Of course, an empowered woman will definitely know the steps to take when she faces challenges in marriage which does not mean divorce, but getting help from existing organizations or institutions that provide services like counselling.
“If one then decides to go down the path of divorce, it may mean that other avenues of trying to save the marriage have failed or that one is not aware of what one would do if faced with such a scenario,” she said.
“We cannot blame empowerment for contributing to divorce; Empowerment is crucial for us to achieve gender equality. Women have to know their rights and even learn how to become independent, and in fact, the economy is one of the major contributors to misunderstanding in most families. Chronicle
