Young Zimbabwean women choose divorce

Economic insecurity, unstable employment and housing challenges are increasingly making it difficult for Zimbabwean women to sustain marriages, with new data showing that women are twice as likely as men to be divorced or separated.

The findings are contained in the 2025 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) in partnership with the Ministry of Health.

According to the survey, 12% of women aged 15 to 49 are divorced or separated, compared with 6% of men in the same age group.

The proportion of divorced or separated women has also risen from 9% in 2015, translating to nearly 100 000 more women in this category over the past decade.

The trend comes against a backdrop of a sharp increase in divorce cases nationally.

Figures from the High Court show that almost 4 000 divorce applications were filed in 2025, representing a 27% increase from the 3 138 cases recorded in 2024.

Harare accounted for more than 2 300 of the applications, followed by Bulawayo and other regional High Court stations.

Despite the increase in marital breakdown, young Zimbabweans continue to express a strong desire for marriage, stable relationships and parenthood, according to a new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report titled The Lives, Choices and Futures Report.

The report, based on findings from the 2025–2026 Demographic Futures Survey, examines the aspirations and experiences of young adults and the social and economic circumstances influencing their transition into adulthood.

UNFPA found that while many young people continue to value relationships, marriage and having children, economic circumstances often determine whether they are able to realise those aspirations.

"The findings point to a gap between aspirations and perceived opportunities; financial security, stable employment, affordable housing, and support all matter in enabling young people to build the lives they want," the report says.

The agency said the desire for family life remained strong, but many young people lacked the economic and social conditions required to sustain it.

"Many young people continue to aspire to relationships, marriage, and parenthood. The question is not whether young people value these life goals, but whether they have the conditions to realise them," UNFPA said.

The report also found that decisions around having children were largely influenced by personal considerations rather than government pressure.

Financial security, housing stability and emotional readiness were identified as important considerations for young people contemplating marriage and parenthood.

"Many young people value partnership, parenthood, stability, and family life, while also rating financial security, housing stability, and emotional readiness as important considerations in relation to these aspirations," the report said.

UNFPA urged governments, employers and other institutions to create conditions that enable young people to establish stable families and pursue their desired life plans.

"Enhancing economic opportunities, employment security, affordable housing, accessible childcare, and gender equality can help create the conditions to support young people to have the number of children they want, when they want them, and build the lives they aspire to lead," the agency said.

Despite the economic and social pressures facing young adults, the report found that optimism about the future remained relatively high, with two-thirds of respondents saying they felt somewhat or very positive about their future.

UNFPA cautioned against viewing Zimbabwe's changing demographic patterns solely through statistics on marriage, divorce or fertility.

The agency said personal choices were closely intertwined with broader economic and social conditions.

"Young people's decisions about relationships and parenthood are shaped not only by personal preferences and values, but also by the wider circumstances in which those choices are made," the report noted.

The findings suggest that while Zimbabwean youths continue to aspire to family life, rising living costs, insecure employment and difficulties accessing affordable housing could increasingly determine whether those aspirations translate into stable marriages and families.