Developments in Rules of Divorce in Iran and its Effects on the Rate of Divorce

Considering the importance of forming a family and strengthening it, and the negative consequences of divorce in various aspects of human life on the one hand and the importance of related laws on the other hand, it is necessary to investigate the effect of law on the rate of divorce. The present study investigates the effect of laws and regulations on the rate of divorce. Despite the single article on amending regulations of divorce (approved in 1371 SH by the Assembly for Discerning the Expediency of Islamic Regime, according to which it is necessary to refer to the court for divorce – even if the couple have mutual consent for it – and it is necessary for the court to issue a certificate to the effect that the couple will never reconcile) the question is why the rate of divorce is so high.In the present research, in addition to using existing statistics presented by the related organizations in previous years – including the General Register Office; the Statistics Center of Iran; the registered statistics; the books, essays and conducted researches; and the related internet sites – 182 cases of divorce requests in the Kerman Judicial Center for Family and Archive Office of Judicature in Kerman were used as research samples. These cases were related to three periods during which the laws and regulations experienced changes and evolutions. The first period is one year before approval of the single article on amendment of divorce regulations (1371 SH). The second period is one year after approval of that article, and the third year is 1388 SH.