Rising divorce rate in Brazil

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the divorce is continually increasing in the last 23 years. The divorce is one of the most important crises of adult life. Furthermore, when a couple faces an unsatisfactory marriage, many problems begin to arise in the daily living and relationship. The rising divorce rate in Brazil is associated with two main causes: women's rights, and more acceptance of divorce in the society.

The Constitution of 1988 brought many improvements to the condition of women in society, establishing legal equality between men and women at all levels, including the labor issue. All those legal improvements gave women the opportunity to take care of themselves, to be free and not to dependent on their husbands. Consequently, women have better education, better job opportunities and financial independence. Moreover, they can be more demanding in the sense that they now what they want and they are not afraid to speak up. Thus, if women are not satisfied in their marriages they can easily ask for divorce and star over with their lives.

However, besides the legal independence of women, another factor that has contributed to increasing divorce rate is the acceptance of divorce in our society. This acceptance is bough moral and commercial, and it gives great of opportunities of happiness, pleasure, and entertainment for those how give up the married life.

The first acceptance cause is the moral issue. Since the importance of religion, more specifically Catholic religion, has diminished in our society, its rigid dogmas became less influent in people behavior. Furthermore, marriage is not dictated by religion but by civil laws. All those concept changes make it possible for people to be divorced without being judged as immoral. Being divorced is no longer a reason to be ashamed, in fact, it can be viewed as a statement of ones freedom.

The second acceptance cause is somehow a consequence of the rising divorce rate. As people get divorced, they create a new market segment. The divorcees are financial independent are emotionally mature adults, who are in the market again after a relatively long period of reclusion in a steamily intimate and monogamy life. These people have money to spend and there are a lot of entertainment out there waiting for them, such as special single’s night at bars, dating websites and agencies, group trips and cruises, even small apartments, houses and cars are available for people that choose to live a single life.

While rising divorce rate has negative consequences, it has positive aspects too. First, it’s considerably better to be alone than to be trapped in an unhappy marriage. Even though some may argue that it affects the children, it’s better for them to live in separate yet happy and health houses than to live in a house full of resentment, fights, and disrespect.

To sum up, rising divorce rate in Brazil are associated with the improvement of women rights, and the growing acceptance of divorce in the society. No matter its causes or consequences, the divorce is the way people release themselves from unhappy marriages, it’s a way to regain freedom and independence when one fills trapped in an unsatisfactory relationship.