Zimbabwe divorce rate alarming

The staggering number of divorces granted by the High Court this week is a serious cause for concern, that speaks to the country's parlous socio-economic situation in its various facets.

The Newsday reported that the High Court judge Justice Erica Ndewere granted 22 couples the wish to terminate their marriages for varying reasons, with many citing irreconcilable differences for throwing in the towel.

Zimbabwe's unending economic problems have been cited as one of the major causes of the higher divorce rate, but we should hasten to add that this is not backed by empirical research.

However, it is a fact that thousands of Zimbabwean couples were separated by the mass migration spawned by the collapse of the economy.

Husbands and wives had to leave their spouses to seek employment across the world and some landed in very faraway places, which meant they could go for years without reuniting with their families.

There has also been a break of families within the country as breadwinners travel the breadth and length of the country in search of income.

Others resort to cross-border trade that keeps them away from their families for far too long.

There are many other factors that lead to divorce that may not be connected to the economy such as violence and the death of the extended family.

Zimbabwe has traditionally been a conservative society, but due to globalisation, young people tend to be influenced by other cultures where the family unit is viewed in other terms.

There is no doubt that the divorce rate is on the increase and we need to think about the causalities of these breakdown such as children.

Institutions such as churches, the extended family and traditional structures are being called upon to save the family institution from collapse.