Causes of Divorce in the Maldives: An In-Depth Socio-Economic Analysis

Family is regarded as the cornerstone of Maldivian society; however, recent years have seen a pronounced prevalence of divorce, which has the potential for significant social, emotional, and economic disruptions for divorced couples, their children, extended families, and social cohesion at large. Despite these profound impacts, there is limited knowledge regarding the risk factors contributing to divorce in the Maldives, which hinders the formulation of comprehensive strategies to address this issue. This study, therefore, aims to investigate and document the causes of divorce in the Maldives and evaluate the efficacy of current interventions. Utilising a qualitative research design, in-depth insights were gathered through individual interviews with key informants—men and women aged 18 to 39 who had experienced divorce in the Greater Male’ area. Employing snowball and purposive sampling, eight informants provided data covering 15 divorce cases. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed nine primary factors contributing to divorce, including immaturity, infidelity, incompatibility, financial instability, congested living conditions, marrying for the wrong reasons, domestic violence, substance abuse, and women’s empowerment. The findings suggest that current measures to reduce divorce rates are inadequate for maintaining family unity, highlighting the implications for policy and programmes to address these issues effectively.