Divorce Rate Rising Among Young Tajiks

Divorce used to be a rare occurrence in Tajikistan, where traditional family values are held in high regard. But that is changing as social expectations evolve and couples face stark economic choices.

Rano Bobojonova, head of the government department for women and the family in Tajikistan’s northern region, Soghd, says divorce is increasingly common among young couples, and typically occurs within five months to a year of marriage.

Other experts say that on the one hand, couples these days have more material expectations than in the old days, but on the other, they often struggle to make ends meet.

One common factor in divorce is when a husband has to go off abroad to work as a labour migrant soon after the wedding. His wife is left living with his family, and tensions often arise. Some men form new, often permanent relationships with women in the country they are working in.

The audio programme, in Russian and Tajik, went out on national radio stations in Tajikistan, as part of IWPR project work funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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