Makkah Newspaper

Divorce is on the increase because of frequent marital disputes. Look around you and tell me how many married couples you know who are considering divorce or have been divorced.

There are plenty of marital disputes. Men say women are materialistic and impatient while women say men are irresponsible and lack empathy. The families of married couples add salt to the wounds. If their son says he wants a divorce, they support him and blame the woman saying she did not fulfill his needs. If the daughter says she wants a divorce, they support her and blame the man because he did not treat her well.

I attended a marriage skills course a few years ago. I noticed that the number of women who showed up for the course was larger than that of men as only a few men attended. Last week, I attended a financial skills course and found the same thing: 20 women showed up while only one man attended. The same holds true for online courses; women always outnumber men in terms of attendance and signing up for courses.

This indicates that women are evolving emotionally and intellectually at a faster rate than men. Naturally, there will be misunderstandings and lack of harmony between married couples.

My message to women and men is this: please do not blame one another when marital problems occur. You need to first look deep inside yourself to understand the problem. You both need to develop your marital skills and increase your awareness about the best ways to save a marriage from collapsing. Do not look for the other’s mistakes. Instead, focus on the things you have in common and let bygones be bygones. You will pull through as long as you still have love for one another.