In most cases of divorces initiated by women in the Sultanate of Oman, denial of parity in marriage partnership or a shift in the gender role expectations are cited as the reasons.
Adding to them are better education and jobs to sustain their living standards.
Basma Suleimani, who got her divorce two years back, substantiates, “a marriage is not just a contract to live together. Both husband and wife should hold equal responsibility for domestic and caretaker tasks in the family”.
Gender roles are no longer acceptable, says Basma, who is employed in the public sector and sought her divorce to challenge “the dictatorship by her husband in all matters”.
Safia Ahmed has a different tale for ending her six years of married life. “We both were working. But I alone had to hold the responsibilities of all household work, childcare and even taking care of husband.”
Safia says she is leading a happy life with her five-year-old daughter and has no plan for a remarriage.
Even as the divorce rate in the Sultanate of Oman is not as alarming as in some other countries, it signals that women and men are beginning to choose personal freedom over conventions.
“Some of the other causes for divorce in Oman, like many other countries, include financial problems, social media impact, adultery, drug addiction and physical abuse”, points out Dr Hamed al Sinawi, senior consultant psychiatrist.
In 2021, more than 3,800 divorces were filed, some 12 per cent more divorces than the previous year, while 3,426 divorce certificates were issued in 2020, which averaged almost nine divorces a day.
There has also been an increase in the number of marriage certificates issued, with 2.1 per cent more issued in 2020, compared to 2019. As many as 18,621 marriage certificates were issued in 2020.
Reports indicate that 67 per cent of the divorce cases filed in 2021 were initiated by women.
Families have been influenced by the new urban culture and modern information technology. Education and employment of women and the country’s openness to foreign cultures were other factors for the divorces, points out Dr Hamed.
“Although higher educational attainment is often correlated with more stable marriages, in the Sultanate of Oman, higher education and increased employment for women have brought in a change in their role in the family”, he argues.
In the academic year of 2020-2021, the total number of Omani female students studying in public schools was 321,690 out of a total of 652,606 students.
According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, Omani women in higher education constituted 53.3 per cent of the total admissions in the academic year 2020-2021, a dip of 3.9 per cent compared to 2015-2016.
The percentage of Omani women graduates from higher education institutions in the academic year 2019-2020 increased by 1.4 per cent compared to 2015-2016 period.
Even though the reason for more women seeking divorce is attributed to the availability of more resources including a legal system to pursue it, rising education level and job status are other contributing factors.
“Since women are highly educated these days and hold well-paid jobs and positions, they do not fall into the normative roles of staying with an overbearing spouse”, said Amina al Balushi, a social worker.
Hence, more women make decisions about their marriage and divorce, she said.
Women can now leave marriages and support their children without having to move back into their parents’ homes because of financial needs, said Amina.
“Still divorce is a matter of concern because of its effects on the family structure, but it could also be a step towards improved women’s rights”, she said.
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