Parenthood is one of the main factors that influence the stability of marriage as children are considered to be critical investments in marital capital. Based on the sociological viewpoint of perspective, children create a strong bond within families while at the same time, they increase the organic boundary between couples. Therefore, one of the primary objectives of getting into marriage is to have children. However, not all couples can get children due to infertility. Infertility refers to the inability to attain clinical pregnancy after a year or more of engaging in frequent unprotected sex. Infertility is one of the main factors that adversely affect marital stability in both developed and developing countries. Many people and researchers link infertility to the increasing rate of divorces worldwide. At the same time, some researchers and scholars maintain that infertility increases stability among affected couples ( Tao, Coates & Maycock, 2012) . Even though infertility is associated with some benefits, it is one of the main factors influencing the divorce rate.
The increasing rate of infertility is one of the major global public health concerns because it does affect not only the stability of individuals but also marital stability and relationship, as well as the society at large. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of infertility is between 8% and 12%, which varies across countries and gender ( Tao, Coates & Maycock, 2012) . In India, for instance, the prevalence of infertility is 15% ( Valsangkar et al., 2011) . Infertility is linked to many social and health problems that affect marriages, leading to marital instability and sometimes divorce. Specifically, infertile couples often undergo intense stress, anxiety, and depression, which may also cause sexual dysfunction ( Valsangkar et al., 2011) . At the same time, infertility is associated with a lot of stigmatization and social isolation, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, infertility is one of the main determinants of divorce in many marriages because it affects the quality of a relationship between couples.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
A study that was done by Ma, Rizzi, and Turunen (2019) that infertility increases the rate of divorce significantly, in both developed and developing nations globally. For instance, in Sweden, the divorce rate of infertile couples is twice that of those with at least a child and it reduces with an increase in the number of children. At the same time, in France, childless children have higher risks of divorce compared to their counterparts with children. At the same time, based on the findings of research that was conducted by Ma, Rizzi, and Turunen (2019), childless couples in China are more likely to divorce than their counterparts without children. At the same time, based on research by Kjaer et al. (2014), infertility increases the divorce rate significantly. The study specifically found infertile couples are three times more likely to divorce than their fertile peers. Nearly 27% of infertile Danish women have divorced (Kjaer et., 2014). Hence, infertility is one of the primary factors that are linked to divorce in many countries.
However, Martins et al. (2014) argues that the rate of divorce among childless couples is only common in developing countries and not developed nations like the USA. For instance, even though about 50% of first marriages in the USA end up in divorce, the trend is not largely linked to infertility. Thus, according to Martins et al. (2014), the relationship between infertility and divorce rate is only strong in developing countries, especially when compared to developed nations. Unlike in developed countries, infertile couples, especially women, in developing countries, face many challenges that may force them to divorce. African infertile women or couples, for instance, are often subjected to domestic violence ( Naab, Lawali & Donkor, 2019) . Also, African women who are infertile are culturally blamed, and they face more social isolation and stigmatization that their male counterparts who have the same issue ( Naab, Lawali & Donkor, 2019) . Consequently, a significant number of infertile women in developing countries feel a greater sense of guilt, as well as worthlessness, which always ends in divorce. Also, the pressure from family members to divorce families is one of the reasons why infertility may be causing more divorce in developing countries than in developed nations.
Nevertheless, based on some studies, infertility does not result in divorce. Conversely, it increases the bond and enhances the relationship between affected couples. Findings from some studies reveal that a number of couples who experience infertility problems end up in a strong marital relationship. Thus, infertility does not always end up in divorces as it can result in marital benefits, which may reduce the divorce rate significantly. Also, the presence of children can increase the risks of divorce (Ma, Rizzi & Turunen, 2019). For instance, couples who have children in their early stages of marriage may end up in divorce due to the lack of sufficient time to develop a strong relationship before joining parenthood. At the same time, the presence of children can adversely affect couples’ leisure time, which may negatively affect marital relationships and stability, leading to an increase in the divorce rate (Ma, Rizzi & Turunen, 2019). Hence, infertility is also linked to a number of marital benefits that can reduce the divorce rate in both developed and developing countries.
Therefore, the relationship between infertility and divorce rate is influenced by many intermediate variables such as culture, society norms, level of education, and geographical location of couples. In African culture, for instance, is not accommodative to women infertility, which is often considered a taboo ( Naab, Lawali & Donkor, 2019) . At the same time, in many developed countries like the USA, divorce is not a major social issue because it can be solved through the use of modern medical technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF). Besides, many western countries do not consider infertility a taboo, like in the case of many developing nations globally. The relationship between infertility and divorce is also influenced by the level of education of the couples. Educate couples are not likely to divorce due to infertility problems compared to their less-educated counterparts.
In conclusion, based on available evidence, infertility is one of the main factors causing marital instability, leading to divorce. Children play an important role in any marriage, and they increase the bond between couples significantly. Childlessness in marriage, on the other hand, is associated with many social and psychological problems, which end up increasing the risks of divorce rate. Individuals, family members, and society expect married couples to have at least a child after a few years of marriage. Thus, infertility prevents couples from getting children, resulting in divorce. However, infertility does not always lead to divorce as some couples develop a strong bond and relationships after realizing that one of them is infertile. Besides, the relationship between infertility and divorce rate are influenced by many factors, especially cultural and societal expectations. Married couples facing infertility issues should seek help from experts to reduce the risks of divorce.
References
Kjaer, T., Albieri, V., Jensen, A., Kjaer, S. K., Johansen, C., & Dalton, S. O. (2014). Divorce or end of cohabitation among Danish women evaluated for fertility problems. Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica , 93 (3), 269-276.
Ma, L., Rizzi, E., & Turunen, J. (2019). Childlessness, sex composition of children, and divorce risks in China. Demographic Research , 41 , 753-780.
Martins, M. V., Costa, P., Peterson, B. D., Costa, M. E., & Schmidt, L. (2014). Marital stability and repartnering: infertility-related stress trajectories of unsuccessful fertility treatment. Fertility and Sterility , 102 (6), 1716-1722.
Naab, F., Lawali, Y., & Donkor, E. S. (2019). "My mother-in-law forced my husband to divorce me”: Experiences of women with infertility in Zamfara State of Nigeria. PloS one , 14 (12).
Tao, P., Coates, R., & Maycock, B. (2012). Investigating marital relationship in infertility: a systematic review of quantitative studies. Journal of Reproduction & Infertility , 13 (2).
Valsangkar, S., Bodhare, T., Bele, S., & Sai, S. (2011). An evaluation of the effect of infertility on marital, sexual satisfaction indices, and health-related quality of life in women. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences , 4 (2).
