What Are the Main Reasons Romanians Get Divorced?

Nearly 2,000 couples in Romania divorced in September 2023, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics. Specialists attribute the most common causes of divorce to adultery, jealousy, and physical violence.

In September of this year, 1,956 couples divorced in Romania, marking an increase of 203 compared to August and 105 more than in September 2022, as reported by the INS.

While the number of divorces has risen, the number of marriages has declined in September 2023. Only 14,586 couples chose to say ‘I do’ in front of the civil officer, 2,526 fewer than the previous month and 239 fewer than in September 2022.

According to Cristina Şoldan, a doctoral candidate in Medicine and Medical Anthropology at the Francisc I. Rainer Institute of the Romanian Academy, there are several factors disrupting marital balance leading to divorce, with the most significant being adultery, jealousy, physical violence, excessive alcohol consumption, and substance abuse.

The psychologist emphasizes that Romanian society after 1990 has witnessed a decline in trust in the institution of marriage.

“The high number of divorces and the lack of public policies to support divorced families have led to a decrease in trust in the institution of marriage and, consequently, in the seriousness of adults’ involvement in families. In conditions where the basic unit of society, the family, is in decline, the strength of society as a whole weakens, increasingly promoting individualism,” said Cristina Şoldan.

According to her, in the long term, it can already be predicted that, with the increase in the number of children from divorces, there will be more unstable or low-quality adult relationships, leading to a future increase in divorce rates, accompanied by negative attitudes and expectations towards marriage.

The clinical psychologist highlights the importance of identifying the factors that lead to one’s own failure in a relationship, as well as those that strengthen the couple and family.