The number of applications for marriage breakdowns has risen by around 7% in 2025 compared to 2024 in the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) area, with women filing significantly more applications than males.
The data also suggested that a higher number of cases were registered in Karwanbazar, Mirpur-2 and Gulshan zones.
Experts said that the growing awareness of women about their rights and acceptance of divorce in society were responsible for the overall growth in the official separation of husbands and wives.
According to DNCC’s official data, in 2024, the total applications was 5,459 and the effective divorces was 5,305. The number of applications made by males was 1,990, which is 36.46%; while the number of applications by females was 3,467, which is 63.51% of the total applications.
The total applications in 2025 was 5,843 and effective cases were 5,326. The total application by males was 2,071; which is 35.45%, and the number of applications by females was 3,772, which is 64.56%.
The zone-wise data showed that a total of 1,109 divorces were registered in the Mohakhali-Gulshan zone, 1,470 in the Mirpur-2 Eastern Housing area, and 1,371 in the Mohammadpur-Agargaon area. Chairperson of the Department of Sociology of Jagannath University, Prof Dr Farhana Zaman, said that the growing awareness, economic independence, and lesser tolerance against suppression and oppression by educated women were responsible for the rise in separations.
She said, “The trend of separation is higher among educated and employed women because they were aware of their rights and do not compromise on them. They have financial independence, so there is no question about compromise and tolerance of unacceptable things. Besides, earlier the separation was a matter of stigma and now the social outlook has changed, which is also encouraging them to divorce.” She said, “The separation has a very adverse effect on the minds of the children, and it is leaving them in distress. It will hurt society as a whole. Their mental health and education are impacted badly due to the separation. Besides, it causes disruption to social stability by giving rise to violence.”
She added, “Working women are bearing the triple burden; at workplace, childbearing and household work, which is leaving them stressed, which is also a factor in divorce. So, the male partners have to share their household work. They have to be empathetic to women. Besides, mutual respect, social and religious norms, and tolerance must be complied with to address the increasing breakdown of family bonds.”