Countries: Nicaragua
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"One or both parties may, without the need to cite any grounds whatsoever, request the dissolution of the marriage or de facto union." (32).

Countries: Philippines
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-5

"The law does not provide for divorce. Legal annulments and separation are possible, and courts generally recognized divorces obtained in other countries if one of the parties was a foreigner. These options, however, are costly, complex, and not readily available to the poor. The Office of the Solicitor General is required to oppose requests for annulment under the constitution. Informal separation is common but brings with it potential legal and financial problems. Muslims have the right to divorce under Muslim family law" (28).

Countries: India
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

“Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by Muslim Personal Law for family matters and disputes. Those laws include allowing men to divorce their wives by simply uttering the word ‘talaq,’ or divorce in Urdu, three times — and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium including telephone, text message or social media post” (para 6). According to this law, Muslim men can divorce their wives for any reason, including bearing only daughters (MM - CODER COMMENT)

Countries: Serbia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"Divorce is very liberal in Serbia. Reasons for divorce, according to the Family Law Act, can include a seriously and permanently disturbed marital relationship and the spouses no longer being able to live together for some solid reason – for example, if a spouse has gone missing. In practice, however, a divorce is usually achieved through one of the spouses simply leaving the relationship and declaring that they no longer want to be married" (para 7)

Countries: Singapore
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"The Women’s Charter specifies the grounds for non-Muslim divorce to be irretrievable breakdown, as indicated by proof of adultery, unreasonable behavior, two years’ desertion, three years’ separation with each party’s consent, or four years’ separation without such consent" (1099)

Countries: Slovenia
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"[In the past,] The diverse family laws produced inequities and severely obstructed everyday life, especially the lives of women. At the same time, the number of separated persons was increasing, especially because of the increased financial independence of women as their educational levels rose and their opportunities in the paid workforce increased. The major reasons for divorce from women’s point of view were husbands’ infidelity, physical abuse, and alcoholism; from men’s point of view, the main reasons for divorce were their wives’ sterility and infidelity.The situation changed considerably during the regime of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–92). Spousal equality was established...and when a marriage was dissolved, spouses were...more

Countries: Senegal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"If a civil marriage ends in divorce, it must be a divorce granted by a judge, and for that reason divorce is uncommon outside urban areas. In rural areas, de facto divorce by physical separation is more common, and such technically married spouses may even remarry. On the other hand, Islamic religious marriages do not require the involvement of a judge in order to end in divorce—but the power to divorce in such cases lies almost solely with the husband, who can divorce at will. Women wishing a divorce, whose husbands contest it, must show cause...Under the 1963 constitution, Senegal is a secular state. Indeed, the Islamic practice of repudiation,...more

Countries: Romania
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"In 2009, reasons for divorce included domestic violence (4.6 percent), alcoholism (5.8 percent), adultery (7.5 percent), mixed causes (8.2 percent), and incompatibility (29.5 percent); 44.4 percent also cite 'other' reasons...However, no-fault divorce is increasingly frequent, especially for urban, middle-class couples" (1046). There is no record of infertility or the lack of sons as being a reason that would likely be included under the 44.4% who cite 'other' reasons for divorce (RNP-CODER COMMENT)

Countries: Palestine
Variables: ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4

"Amal Syam, director of the Women's Affairs Center in Gaza,...told Al-Monitor. 'The Palestinian personal status law is biased in favor of men, as a man can divorce his wife any time he wants, without any reasons given and without filing a lawsuit. In this case, he just has to respect the wife's financial rights. Yet, with the new decision, a man can lodge a divorce lawsuit without fulfilling his wife's rights'" (para 6)

Countries: Pakistan
Variables: ATDW-PRACTICE-2, ATDW-PRACTICE-3, ATDW-LAW-3, ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-5

"Historically, divorce has been considered the prerogative of men, who according to some interpretations of Islamic law have the unilateral right to divorce women. Men’s ability to divorce women with or without reason has served to maintain male dominance within marriages. The patriarchal divorce laws in Pakistan, however, have been reformed over time. Women now have the ability to initiate divorce and secure it within six months. However, a lack of awareness about divorce laws, particularly among women in the rural areas, remains a major obstacle. This along with other factors, such as widespread stigmatization of divorce, women’s economic dependence on their husbands, and limited access to legal institutions, has...more

Countries: Niger
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4, ATDW-LAW-4

"A constitution ratified in 1960 established the family as a reserved domain. As a result, customary law has continued to dominate all aspects of family law. A proposed family code languished in the legislature for decades before it finally collapsed in 2006 because of the objections of religious fundamentalists. In Niger, wives are bound by Sharia law to obey their husbands, who have the right to repudiate or beat them according to their own whims. Divorces must be registered to be considered valid. Women have constitutional and legal rights to equality, but most women are relegated to subservient positions under customary law. For their entire lives, Nigerien women are controlled...more

Countries: Netherlands
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"In the Netherlands, divorce (echtscheiding) is always on the grounds of irreparable breakdown of the marriage. There is no requirement to define or prove this, except in unusual cases where one spouse contests the divorce claiming that the marriage has not broken down" (para 5)

Countries: Mexico
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

Chapter X On Divorce Art.267 The following are grounds for divorce I. Adultery and proof thereof provided by on of the spouses II. If the woman delivers a child that was conceived before the marriage and this child is declared illegitimate. III. The husband's proposal to prostitute his wife, not only when he explicitly propose it, but when he has received money or any kind of remuneration with the explicit intent to prostitute his wife. IV. If one spouse encourages the other to violence to commit a crime, even if this is not prostitution. V. Immoral acts executed by the husband or the wife to corrupt their children, as well...more

Countries: Uruguay
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

“Section I Legal separation Art.148 A legal separation can only take place: 1) Because either one of the spouses was adulterous 2) Because of a condemned attempt against the life of the other spouse 3) Because of deep offenses against each other. The judge will determine what is considered a deep offense according to the degree of education and condition of the offended spouse. 4) Because the husbands proposes to prostitute his wife 5) Because either spouse intends to prostitute the children. 6) When there are constant and continuous fights between the spouses that make conjugal life unbearable. 7) If one spouse is sentenced to over 10 years in prison....more

Countries: Portugal
Variables: ATDW-LAW-4

"What are the reasons to file for divorce? In the case of divorce based on a mutual agreement, the spouses don'T have to reveal the grounds for divorce. If divorce is filed without the consent of one of the spouses a)A de facto separation for a consecutive year, the lack of a conjugal life between the spouses without the intent to reunite be it from one or both of them is considered a de facto separation b) A change in the mental faculties of the other spouse that lasts longer than a year and depending on its severity, compromises the possibility of a conjugal life. c) The absence without any...more