Meta-Analysis of Studies on Levels, Trends and Determinants of Divorce in Iran and Selected Countries, 1970-2011

Divorce is a phenomenon which threatens the family and is considered as the end of a formal and legal marriage. Divorce can be studied from sociological, economical and demographic perspectives. In this article, at first, a brief review of the theoretical and empirical evidence on determinants of divorce in Iran and 21 countries in Asia and the Pacific region are examined and compared. Secondly, according to registered statistics of marriage and divorce over the past 25 years, levels and trends of changes in marriage and divorce in Iran and selected countries are assessed and compared. Finding revealed that determinants of divorce comprise of: parent’s characteristics, individuals’ characteristics, marital factors, couple’s interaction, and attitudes to marriage and divorce. In the second part of the article, we analyzed trends of Divorce Crude Rate and Marriage Crude Rate using the data registered in the Iranian vital statistics system. Statistical analysis indicates that in Iran between 1986 and 2011, crude rate of marriage and divorce has increased from 6.9 and 0.7 to 11.7 and 1.9 per thousand. In addition, the ratio of divorces per 100 marriages increased from about 10.3 to 16.3 over these years. Comparing corresponding rates in selected countries in the region indicates that the rates in Iran are at the upper mid level and interestingly, the average marital years that couples spend before their separation in Iran is lower than that of other countries.