ShahrzadNews - In recent years the average age of Iranian divorcees has fallen, and more and more young women married to husbands who are much older are becoming widows.
According to the Ghanoon website, over 10% of those supported by the Emdad social care committee are single mothers, much more than last year. Over 1.03 million widows receive financial support from the committee, the largest group after the elderly.
Sociologist Amanulah Gharayie told Ghanoon: �Most women getting divorced are now between 18 and 25, which is one reason the number of young women who need state benefits to survive is on the increase. That said, it�s very hard to live on the monthly government handout of 150-200,000 tomans (about 40 US dollars), so poverty is very common. The state�s best policy would be to create job opportunities for these people. That would help the economy as well.�
The report also listed cultural differences, forced marriage, infertility, drug addiction, husbands who are in jail, unemployment and lack of pre-marriage relationships as the main factors behind the ever-increasing number of divorces in Iran.
