July 21, 2026
May Allam

Divorce is an emotionally devastating procedure that destroys families and may harm a former couple physically and emotionally. If the divorce is amicable, it allows civil treatment between the former spouses to take over ill-feelings and hence offers more emotional stability for children. Even if the children are older and/or more independent, divorce can still impact their psychological well-being and mental health. If the divorce is not amicable, this is where problems tend to blow out of proportion, harming all parties involved. The problem with divorce in countries of the Global South, such as Egypt, is that it is rarely amicable and women and children suffer the most. 

To begin with, a press release from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in Egypt, dated 10 years prior to the current date, shows the average percentage of increase in divorce to have increased by 3.2% from 2016 to 2017. Divorce is more likely to occur amongst women in the urban areas of Cairo and amongst a lower age group (30-35 for men and 25-30 for women). Divorce in Egypt specifically is governed by the ‘Personal Status Law’ which solely relies on the Islamic Sharia as its source. Muslim men can either divorce their wives directly, or wives can initiate divorce requests and receive court-ordered divorce by proving harm or forfeit their financial rights and divorce men in court (Khula). The later cases of divorce are the hardest because they involve animosity between both parties and end up harming children in the process. 

Egypt relies on a traditional culture of family, marriage relations and kinship between people. The issue of divorce, when necessary, is looked upon as a social taboo especially amongst the earlier/elder generations of families who kept their marriages intact even if they faced problems during the marriage. The repercussions of divorce, including visitation rights, financial obligations from men, guardianship of minor children, right of abode in the marriage home, physical custody of infants and so many other issues often remain unresolved and denied even if they are court-ordered. 

According to Human Rights Watch (2004), many Egyptian men refuse to divorce women as a form of ‘discipline’ for daring to ask for a divorce and keep them as a ‘spare’ just for the sake of punishing them. In order to prove harm , women must seek legal counsel, provide valid evidence of the harm incurred (physical and/or psychological) and submit to compulsory court-mandated meditation sessions where the woman must prove that it is impossible to live with that man under the same roof. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is very tricky to prove in court and judges exercise reasonable discretion in such cases. The sustainable burden of offering courts proof of harm is a burden for Egyptian women, which has led to the creation of the Khula (no-fault) Law in 2000, whereby giving women the full right to divorce husbands on the base of “incompatibility” between both parties. 

From a writer’s point of view, divorce in Egypt is a very tiring and complicated procedure. Not only are most divorced women shunned from society right before or after divorce but also some people consider divorced women as a potential “easy target” for married men to take as second wives. This causes further burden on these women as some traditional families shun their presence or halt their friendship with divorced women upon divorce. The culture of shame and societal bias against single and divorced women is highly prominent in Egypt. Unfortunately, it can cause many divorced women to isolate themselves or migrate, leaving behind all these traditions and beliefs that have become outdated in the wake of globalization.

No one claims that divorce is easy or simple. It harms families worldwide and it occurs in all countries of the world. As per the World Population Review for 2026, divorce rates can vary from several hundreds to several hundreds of thousands per year. However, it is globally acknowledged that however the rate of divorce varies, the physical and emotional impact of divorce can be devastating for some families. Egypt as a country suffers from increasing divorce rates annually. Divorce results in changing family dynamics and could impact population dynamics in the long-run, in a country suffering from currency devaluation and economic problems already. Regardless of the reasons, divorce should always be amicable and civil. Of course, practically, this theory is hard to observe but it is merely a suggestion and wishful thinking to ensure future peace and less harmful consequences on the future generation of children resulting from divorced families.