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The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An Exploratory Study of Divorced

Women Problems in Jordan
Article in Journal of Divorce & Remarriage · March 2022

DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2022.2046396
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The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An

Exploratory Study of Divorced Women Problems in
Jordan
Yousef Damen Al Khataybeh
To cite this article: Yousef Damen Al Khataybeh (2022): The Consequences of Divorce on
Women: An Exploratory Study of Divorced Women Problems in Jordan, Journal of Divorce &
Remarriage, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2022.2046396
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JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE
https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2022.2046396
The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An Exploratory

Study of Divorced Women Problems in Jordan
Yousef Damen Al Khataybeh
Sociology, Ajloun University College, Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
This study examined the most prominent social, psychologi Divorce; family; Jordanian
cal, economic, and physiological problems of divorced women; problems;
women in Jordan in light of some variables, such as monthly quantitative study
income, age, education level, and family size. The sample of
the study consisted of 219 participants that was randomly
chosen. A questionnaire, including 30 items distributed on 4
domains, was used to collect data. The findings of the study
revealed that the foremost challenges that the divorced
women face are (i) social problems that are represented in
the society’s inferior and cruel look at woman, the contin
uous monitoring, and surveillance from others and the con
stant exposure of annoyance that reinforces woman’s lack of
self-confidence (ii) economic problems represented by
women’s suffering from poverty and the low income that is
insufficient to satisfy their children’s needs and which made
them to be economically deprived as (58.7%) of them live
with a monthly income of 700 US dollars or less (iii) psycho
logical and physiological problems were also considered
a major problem that divorced women face in Jordan.
Besides, the study found statistically significant differences
in all domains except the social domain of those women
who have high-income, higher-education, and who are old
who were found to suffer less. There were no significant
differences that can be attributed to the family size. As
such, it is necessary to develop the role of labor institution
specialists and social workers to pay much attention to
divorced women who suffer from silent persecution. The
study recommends holding rehabilitation programs for
divorced women to help them overcome their crisis resulting
from divorce and deal with poverty of divorced women in
a way that guarantees for them and their children a decent
life. Moreover, they should develop awareness programs to
preserve the marital life of the family in order to confront
the escalating divorce cases. The government can establish
social institutions that are highly qualified and trained in
social work in the familial field and activate the social and
familial service.
CONTACT Yousef Damen Al Khataybeh y.katibh@bau.edu.jo Department of Social Science and Humanities,
Al-Balqa Applied University. Salt, Jordan
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 Y. D. A. KHATAYBEH
Introduction
Divorce is a global phenomenon that women in different countries and human
societies suffer from; however, divorced women in the Jordanian Arabic
society may suffer more than others due to Jordan’s cultural specificity of
Arabism (Al-Abed, 2018 Douki Dedieu et al., 2021), the nature of relationships
with relatives and cultural traditions as well the religious dominant system that
prohibits women form living alone, going out the home, making any sexual
liaison between man and woman except for that which happens within the
context of marriage and in accordance to disciplined traditions and customs
(Al-Khataybeh, 2018). Remarkably, these days the Jordanian Arabic society
has witnessed an increase in the number of degraded and disintegrated
families (Al-Gharaibeh, 2015; Rehim et al., 2020). As such, divorce has become
one of the serious issues that contributes to destabilizing the unity of family
even though it is a solution that dissolves some intricate problems that
profoundly curb the continuity of marital relationship. However, form the
Islamic religion perspective, divorce is considered as one of the worst decision
that can be made and from a social perspective, it is also considered as one of
the most factors that engender disintegration within the society itself as its
effects can be expanded to social, psychological, economic, and physiological
problems that touch the divorcee as well as children (Al-Khataybeh, 2018).
During the last a few decades, Jordan has witnessed profound transforma
tions that impacted both society and family. Such transformations include
changes in the patriarchal system, women’s role, marital partnership as well as
shifting in the role, responsibility, affairs, and duties of the working and
educated woman in families (Al-Khataybeh, 2013; Daibes et al., 2018).
Moreover, the aspects of ruling inside the family have also been changed.
They have partially become under the control of what can be called the
modern wife whose role differs greatly from other conventional and tradi
tional women’s roles. Intrinsically, the modern wife’s role has become domi
nant and effective in all familial and in-house related decisions. As such, most
of the traditional roles that were attributed to women in just the past a few
decades have diminished (Alsawalqa, 2021; Al-Zubaidi, 2020). Accordingly,
the new modern wife has gained a new social position that reinforces and
empowers her position and status to escape from the traditional patriarchal
dominance in order to maintain a new form of emancipation, freedom, and
independence in several matters. Undoubtedly, this leads to new confronta
tions and potential conflicts that increase dramatically divorce ratio in the
modern society (Al-Khataybeh, 2018).
Today, divorce in Jordan constitutes a deep shocking reality. The Sharia
courts (courts following the Islamic principles) have recorded 70,734 marriage
contracts during 2018, while surprisingly enough such courts have also
recorded 20,297 divorce cases during the same year in which (30%) of
JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE 3
women’s age was between of 30–40 years, (25%) between 26–29 years old and
(24%) between 18–20 years old (Supreme Judge Department, 2020). Based on
the gradual increase in divorce rates in accordance with age, it can be inferred
that divorce is not related to early marriage, but to the reasons of increasing in
family problems size (Al-Khataybeh, 2013). Moreover, divorce can be attrib
uted to the low compatibility in marital life (Al-Khataybeh, 2015), although
linked thisto the wrong decision of choosing the partner.
It is worth mentioning that divorced women in the Jordanian societies
suffer from various problems, such as suspicion, doubt, disdain, and some
times inferiority look from others in their social surroundings. This undoubt
edly affects their social relationships and diminishes their social
acclimatization (Al-Ghamdi, 2009). The society’s view on the divorced
woman still sometimes remains as it used to be considering the divorcee
unsuccessful wife in performing her tasks and duties (Dhebyan, 2009).
Oftentimes, divorce leaves great psychological effects, such as emotional
pain, anxiety, depression, compunction, hating the self as well as feeling of
deprivation, injustice, persecution, stress, pessimism, and defeatism (Al-
Zubaidi, 2020; Safadi et al., 2018). Moreover, it adds to the economic problems
Jordanian families mostly suffer from. The financial cost of raising children
and the feeling of children living in anxiety and sadness will be too much.
Needless to say, divorce as a disintegrating phenomenon is considered the
ultimate factor that worsens the life of the family. The view of divorce as
a serious disintegrating phenomenon is based on fundamental perception in
which Arab society does not recognize any form of sexual relationship outside
the domain of legitimate marriage, which is acknowledged according princi
ples of law, culture, and religion.
Familial conflicts must not be always perceived as factors that contribute to
the destructive disintegration of families. It is natural to find families that
suffer from bickering, strife, arguments, and challenges that their affect roles
and performance (Al-Amir, 1999; Dollahite et al., 2018). It can be argued that
some familial problems might be positive and beneficial as they sometimes
function in a way in developing the marital relationship to eliminate the
reasons of strife and conflicts. True marriage dismisses and neglects all
forms of challenges and problems as well as promoting the ability and skills
of the spouses to solve issues that impede their life (A. Al-Khashab,1998;
Alsawalqa, 2021).
Problem statement
Divorce has recently become one of the serious problems that profoundly
threaten the structure and unity of society and family in Jordan. According to
marriage and divorce contracts between 2000 and 2019, the total ratio of
divorce reached 23.3% in Jordan. For instance, in 2018, the ratio of divorce
reached 28.6%. Remarkably, according to the data of Supreme Judge

Department (2020), the total divorce contracts for the last 18 years in Jordan
were 287,824. Thus, the current study aims at exploring the social, psycholo
gical, economic, andphysiological problems divorced women face in Jordan,as
well as dentifying the significant factors that may cause divorce such as the size
of the family, monthly income, age, and education.
The significance of the study

From the theoretical perspective, this study derives its significance from the
essential aim that is related to exploring the problems of divorced women
particularly in light of some factors after the spread of this phenomenon that
have increased the number of divorced women in the Jordanian Arabic
societies. This may give a glimpse to the workers and researchers in the field
to have a closer look at this phenomenon and take actions to help diminishing
this serious social problem that threatens the unity and integration of the
society. This study presents beneficial results to the governments and society
with all its institutions, members, researchers, and social workers. The results
may contribute in the way of understanding and dealing with the phenom
enon from all sides as well as benefiting those policy and program makers to
pay more attention to the issues of divorced women. In light of the problem
statement raised, the present study aims to answer the following questions.
(1) What are the most common social, economic, psychological, and phy
siological problems of Jordanian-divorced women?
(2) Are there statistically significant differences about the problems of
Jordanian-divorced women that can be attributed to family size,
monthly income, age, and level of education?
Limitations of the study

The human and spatial limits: This study was applied on a sample of divorced
Jordanian women in the capital, Amman. Therefore, generalizing the results
are limited to the studied community as well as to what is similar.
Time limits: This study was carried out in summer 2020.
Literature review
Despite the increased number of studies in the field of divorce, women and
family, the problems of divorced women that are caused by divorce have not
been given sufficient attention. Al-Badayneh and Al-Qutaitat (2018) studied
divorce in Jordan. Their study showed that divorced women suffer from
stigma and low self-esteem in among the Jordanian people. Thus, they are
less adaptable than the married ones. He argued that the problems of divorced
women in Jordan can be attributed mainly to social, ethical, and economic
factors. Dhebyan (2009) found that that the problems of divorce come as
a result of treason, doubting, repulsion, hatred, addiction, violence, inequality,
and less responsibility. The causes and consequences of divorce might differ
from one society to another. For example, in the Iranian society, women
choose and decide divorce once they feel that their position in the marital
relationship is finished. Such women enjoy a respectable perception from
society as well as having a financial support (Arab Khorasani & Ghiasvand,
2018). In the United Arab Emirates society, Rehim et al. (2020) argued that
negative familial intervention functions are a great factor that causes divorce,
followed by the negligence of the spouses. What is striking is that age, educa
tion level, and occupation do not function as main factors in causing divorce.
In the same vein, Al-Abed (2018) asserted that there is no relation between age
and divorce in Jordan. All age groups come in equal level when divorce takes
place.
Al-Afifi (2017) pointed out that women are more capable than men in
controlling pressures that occur because of divorce despite of the circum
stances, unemployment, and stigma associated with being divorced. He stated
that the most dangerous results of divorce are the difficult economic problems
that may affect the lives of children, study, and behaviors. Taza, (2014) asserted
that divorce leaves deep psychological impact among Algerian divorced
women such as depression, anxiety, and the inability to acclimatize with
their new life as well as lacking the way to deal with others. Moreover, She
argued that women suffering from psychological pressures were at the top of
divorced problems that occur at the final stage of marriage. Al-Ghamdi (2009)
found that divorced women suffer from social and economic aspects, as well as
experiencing the feeling of humiliation, degradation, and rumors form others.
Moreover, a divorced woman may live with the feelings of failure, less success,
bad acclimatization and disorder in social relations as well as sadness, sorrow,
and despair considering herself as the one for family corruption and disin
tegration. Rathi and Pachauri (2018) in Mairto city pointed out that divorced
women face several great challenges, most prominently, the social, financial,
familial, emotional, and psychological problems in Mairto city in India.
Moreover, those who receive good familial support suffer less than those
who don’t have any support. Sharma (2011) stated that divorced women
experience a better psychological state after divorce. It could be said that
divorce and its problems vary from one society to another.
The theorists of the symbolic interactive approach perceive that familial
disintegration happens as a result of roles and functions malpractices as well
as the failure to satisfy the needs of the interactive members. As such,
a failure of one of the spouses in his/her performance and roles can be
reflected on the family as a whole. This leads to developing aspects that
destabilize the unity of the family that in turn will be vulnerable to disin
tegration and precariousness (Al-Khataybeh, 2018). According to the per
ception of social exchange theory, the stability of family and failure of their
marriage can be achieved through three dimensions, First, the standardized
trends that are constructed on socialization, similarity and rapprochement in
values and motives. Secondly, the cognitive trends which are represented by
the person’s belief, values, and tendencies. Thirdly, the reciprocal relation
ship that is based on exchanging the material and the moral values, costs,
benefits, and expectations of each partner in the marital relationship (Al-
Khashab, 1998). Basically, divorce happens as a result of the failure to
reaching any form of previous expectations and the inability to find equality
in exchanging benefits and gains.
From the perception of functional theory, divorce is a state of family
disintegration that happens as a result of the failure in the familial and marital
systems in achieving the individual’s aims, such as the emotional and existen
tial stability, procreation, social position, and so on. Therefore, one of the
spouses or both of them will determine to end marriage . Needless to say, most
of divorce cases occur as a result of irrational decisions. Research has proven
that despite the presence of problems in marital and family life, married people
are happier than single, divorced, or widowed (Dhebyan, 2009).
Methods
This is a descriptive and analytical study. The social survey approach has
been used to identify the social, economic, psychological, and physiological
problems of divorced women from in light of some social variables. Such
an approach allows for collecting data by analyzing and discussing it as
well as presenting sufficient knowledge about the phenomenon under
study.
Population and of the study

The community of the study consists of all Jordanian divorced women who
visit Sariah court (courts following the Islamic principles) in Irbid city in
Jordan. The approximate number of divorced women for the last 18 years is
287,824 (Supreme Judge Department, 2020). The sample of the study consists
of 219 divorced women from different governorates in Jordan that was
selected randomly. The participants were invited to participate in the study.
This occurred during the time of their presence to Sharia courts in order to
receive or discuss issues related to their alimony or other purposes. The
participants were requested to fill in the questionnaire.
Table 1. Characteristics of the study sample.

Variable Categories Frequency Percentage
Period of being marriage 3 years and less 63 28.8
4–6 years 48 21.9
7–9 years 35 16.0
From 10 years and over 73 33.3
The family’s monthly income 700 dollars and less 123 56.2
From 700–1400 dollars 58 26.5
1401 and more 38 17.4
Number of the family members From 3 children or less 134 61.2
From 4–6 children 71 32.4
more than 6 14 6.4
Education Less than secondary 31 14.2
Secondary certificate 47 21.5
Bachelor 92 42.0
Master’s degree and above 49 22.4
Age 23 years and under 10 4.6
From 24–32 years old 95 43.4
From 33–41 years old 62 28.3
42 years and over 52 23.7
Total 219 100.0
Demographic characteristics of the study sample

Table 1 below presents the demographic characteristics of the study sample:
Table 1 revealed that (33.3%) of divorced women live for 10 years
with their husbands in marriage relationship and then divorce occurs,
whereas whose marriage lasted for three years or less were (28.8%) and
(21.9%) whose marriage lasted between 4 and 6 years. The least was
between 7 and 9 years with a ratio of (16.0%). The majority of divorced
women (58.7%) live below the line of poverty. Their monthly income did
not exceed 700 US dollars, followed by (27.0%) with an income of 700–
1400 US dollars. The remaining is a minority whose income is 751
dollars or more. For family size, the level of women who have three
kids constituted (61.2%). Another level who has 4–6 kids, and consti
tuted (32.4%), the remaining have 7 kids. The majority whose level of
education is bachelor constituted (48.2%), followed by secondary-level
education with a ratio of (21.4%) and master’s level and above with
a ratio of (18.8%), whereas the least levels with basic and elementary
education are closely proportionate.
According to the ratio of divorced women, (43.4%) were between 24
and 32 years old, followed by 33–41 years old with a ratio of (28.3%).
Those whose age is 42 or more were with a ratio of (23.7%). The least of
them were (4.6%) whose age is 23 years and less. Most of the divorced
women dwell in the house of their parents with a ratio (56.2%), those who
lie alone reached (18 .7%) and those who live in divorced caring homes
reached (25.1%)
The study tool

A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The researchers designed the
questionnaire by adopting Al-Zubaidi’s (2020) scale. The tool consists of four
variables that are family size, monthly income, education level, and age and 30
items measuring four domains the social, psychological, economic, and phy
siological problems.
Validity of the tool

The questionnaire was checked by experts in sociology and social service who
are professors at the University of Jordan. Necessary modifications and adjust
ments suggested by the reviewers were done. The validity of the tool was
checked after investigating the content validity for the study tool and calculat
ing the factor of the tool validity by using Cronbach’s Alpha. The survey was
applied on pilot sample that consists of 25 participants. After calculating
Cronbach’s Alpha, the correlation value as a whole reached (0.90) which is
considered appropriate to do the study.
Statistical analysis
To process the data, the study relied on statistical package for social
science (SPSS). The descriptive statistics are represented by ratio, fre
quency, percentage, means, and standard deviations. The contrastive
t-test and Scheffe’s test have been used to illustrate the statistically sig
nificant differences of divorce in the light of some social variables. The
indicative level was determined by (0.05%) or less. This means that there
are statistically significant differences.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations were taken into account. In Jordan, there are no
ethical review boards for social research. Social workers have to comply
with the Jordanian Association of Social Work code of ethics, which are
derived from Jordan’s Constitution, which is based on Jordan’s norms and
religious values. Social work researchers refer to international social work
bodies to be informed about further ethical considerations. The partici
pants’ consent to participate in this study was sought before starting
collecting data. Their names were kept anonymous. The researcher also
gained explicit permission to record
Table 2. Means and standard deviations of the divorced women’s problems in a descending order.
Rank No. Domain Means S.D Level
1 1 Social problems of divorced women 2.24 .530 Medium
2 3 Economic problems of divorced women 2.23 .711 Medium
3 2 Psychological problems of divorced women 1.89 .594 Medium
4 4 Physiological problems of divorced women 1.84 .693 Medium
Divorce problems as a whole 2.07 .469 Medium
Findings
The aim of the study is to explore the social, economic, psychological, and
physiological problems of Jordanian divorced women as well as to examine the
statistically significant differences that can be attributed to some variables as
presented below.
RQ1: What is the most prominent social, economic, psychological, and phy
siological problems of Jordanian divorced women?
The means and standard deviations have been separately calculated. The
findings are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 illustrates that the means ranged between (2.24–1.84). The social
problems of divorced women came in the first rank with an average that
reached (2.24). In the second rank came the social problems with an average
(2.23) followed by psychological problems, while physiological problems of
divorced women came in the final rank with the lowest average. The whole
mean was (2.07) as discussed below:
Social problems of divorced women

Table 3 illustrates that the means, which ranged between (2.00–2.46).
Table 3. Means and standard deviations of the divorced woman social problems.
Rank No Items Means SD Level
1 3 Society looks at divorced woman in an inferior cruel way 2.46 .791 High
1 8 The divorced woman suffer from the constant watching 2.46 .724 High
3 4 The divorced woman is exposed to harassment 2.34 .799 High
4 9 The divorced woman suffers from society’s lack of confidence 2.32 .772 High
in her
5 1 The divorced woman suffers from the lack of opportunities to 2.26 .813 Medium
remarry again
6 2 Divorce is a cause to the weakness of my social relations 2.16 .839 Medium
7 6 The divorced woman suffers from low social position 2.14 .820 Medium
8 7 Divorce usually makes behavior’s deviations to children 2.15 .790 Medium
9 5 Divorce is a cause for the weakness of my social contacts with 2.11 .853 Medium
others
10 10 A woman gains her freedom and this is appropriate for her 2.00 .854 Medium
Divorced woman social problems 2.24 .530 Medium
Table 4. Psychological problems of divorced woman.

Rank No Items Means St. Dev. level
1 19 The woman’s divorce affects the children’s feelings of 2.21 .872 Medium
losing the tenderness of parenthood
2 15 The majority of divorced women are vulnerable to 2.03 .812 Medium
depression
3 13 The divorced woman is exposed to psychological shock 2.00 .862 Medium
after divorce
4 18 The divorced women feel stress while talking to others 1.89 .852 Medium
5 17 My desire for loneliness and solitude increase after divorce 1.84 .803 Medium
6 14 I am unable to challenge the psychological pressures after 1.82 .819 Medium
divorce
6 16 I feel fear and anxiety after divorce 1.82 .846 Medium
8 12 Feeling of inferiority dominates the divorced woman 1.72 .841 Medium
9 11 The divorced woman feels shy after divorce 1.65 .806 Low
The psychological problems of divorced women 1.89 .594 Medium
The most significant results in the first domain were revealed in item 3 which
states “society looks at women in an inferior cruel way,” and item 8 which states
“the divorced woman suffers from constant watching.” Both of them were with
a mean of (2.46), followed by item 4 which states that “the divorced woman is
exposed to harassment” and item 9 which states that “the divorced woman
suffers from society’s lack of confidence in her.” The problems were in a high
effective level. Lastly, item (10) which states that “a woman gains her freedom
and this is appropriate for her” came with a mean of (2.00).
Psychological problems of divorced women

The means and standard deviations related to psychological problems of
divorced women as presented in Table 4.
Table 4 illustrates that item (19) which states “the woman’s divorce affects
the children’s feelings of losing the tenderness of parenthood” was ranked first
with a mean of (2.21). In the second rank came item (15) which states “the
majority of divorced women are vulnerable to depression” followed by item 13
which states “the divorced woman is exposed to psychological shock after
divorce.” While item (11) which states “the divorced woman feels shy after
divorce” came in the final ranking. The whole mean of the psychological
problems of the divorced women was (1.89)
The economic problems of divorced women

The means and standard deviations related to the economic problems of divorced
women are arranged according to their importance as shown in Table 5.
Table 5 illustrates that item (24) which states that “Divorced women’s kids suffer
from economic deprivation” comes in the first rank with an average of (2.32). In
the second rank came item (20) which states “The divorced women’s income is not
sufficient to satisfy the needs of their kids” which reached an average of (2.30)
Table 5. The economic problems of divorced women.

Rank No Items Means St. dev. Level
1 24 Divorced women’s kids suffer from economic 2.32 .827 Medium
deprivation
2 20 The income is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of 2.30 .868 Medium
divorced women kids
3 23 Most divorced women suffer from poverty 2.21 .863 Medium
4 21 The divorced woman becomes economically 2.20 .860 Medium
dependent on her family
4 25 The inability to cover the cost of treatment expenses 2.20 .780 Medium
6 22 They suffer hugely from financial matters 2.17 .844 Medium
The economic problems of divorced women 2.23 .711 Medium
followed by item 22 which states “The inability to cover the cost of medical
treatment and expenses” and item 23 which states “Most divorced women suffer
from poverty.” In the final ranking, item (22) which states “They suffer hugely from
lack of financial matters” with an average of (2.17). The whole average of the
economic problems of divorced women reached (2.23).
The physiological problems of divorced women

The means and standard deviations of divorced women’s physiological pro
blems arranged according to their importance as displayed in Table 6.
Table 6 illustrates that item (27) which states “An increase in taking painkillers
and sedatives after divorce” came in the first rank with an average of (1.92)
followed by items (30 and 28) which states “The physiological state of the
women becomes degraded and poor after divorce” and “My physiological changed
after divorce.” Both of these items have the same mean (1.87). In the final rank,
item came (26) which states “Suffering from chronic disease that results after
divorce.”
RQ2: Are there any statistically significant differences (α = 0.05) about the
problems of divorced women that result from divorce attributed to variables of
family size, monthly income, education, and age?
To answer this question and to illustrate the statistical differences of the

means, one-way analysis of statistically significant differences (α = 0.05) about
the problems of divorced women that result from divorce attributed to vari
ables of family size, monthly income, education, and age as presented below.
Table 6. The divorced women’s physiological problems.

Rank No Items Means SD Level
1 27 An increase in taking painkillers and sedative after divorce 1.92 .853 Medium
2 28 My physical build changed after divorce 1.87 .831 Medium
3 30 The physiological state of the women becomes degraded and 1.87 .879 Medium
poor after divorce
4 29 Visiting doctor for medical treatment increased after divorce 1.81 .850 Medium
5 26 Suffering from chronic disease that results after divorce 1.72 .835 Medium
1.84 .693 Medium
Monthly income
Table 7 illustrates statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) that can be
attributed to monthly income in all field problems except social problems.
Means, standard deviations, and one-way analysis of variance about
divorced women problems are presented according to the variable of
monthly income
In divorce problems as a whole and to illustrate the pair statistically
significant differences between the means, the dimensional comparison was
used as illustrated in Table 8.
Table 8 shows that there are statistically significant differences (α = 0.05)
between 700 dollars and less and 700–1400 dollars’ income. The differences
came for the benefit of 700 dollars and less in the problems as a whole.
Education level
The means, standard deviations, and one-way analysis of variance of the
divorced women problems are displayed in Table 9 according to the level of
education
Table 10 illustrates the dimensional comparisons for the effects of education
level on he divorced women social problems in Jordan.
It can be illustrated from Table 9 that there are statistically significant
differences at (α = 0.05) that can be attributed to education level in the problems
and the tool as a whole except for that of the divorced social problems. Table 10
illustrates the statistically significant differences, the dimensional comparisons.
There are statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) between those who
hold master’s degree and above on one hand, and those who are university
Table 7. Divorced women problems according to the variable of monthly income.

Problems’ field Ranks No. Means St. dev. F-value sig
The divorced social 1–700 dollars 123 2.30 .476 1.656 .193
problems 700–1400 dollars 58 2.16 .579
1001 dinars and more 38 2.18 .606
Total 219 2.24 .530
The women 1–700 dollars 123 2.04 .529 10.710 .000
psychological problems 700–1400 dollars 58 1.73 .578
1001 dinars and more 38 1.63 .674
Total 219 1.89 .594
The divorced women 1–700 dollars 123 2.57 .474 46.077 .000
economic problems 700–1400 dollars 58 1.93 .654
1001 dinars and more 38 1.63 .832
Total 219 2.23 .711
The divorced 1–700 dollars 123 1.94 .677 3.455 .033
women physiological 700–1400 dollars 58 1.66 .632
problems 1001 dinars and more 38 1.78 .783
Total 219 1.84 .693
Divorced women problems 1–700 dollars 123 2.22 .379 16.387 .000
as a whole 700–1400 dollars 58 1.90 .451
1001 dinars and more 38 1.84 .583
Total 219 2.07 .469
Table 8. The effects of monthly income on psychological, economic, physiological, and other
problems as a whole.
1–700 dollars 701–1000 1001dollars
Problems field Monthly income Mean and less dollars And more
Psychological problems 1–700 dollars 2.04
700–1400 dollars 1.73 .31(*)
1001 dinars and 1.63 .41(*) .10
more
The 1–700 dollars 2.57
economic 700–1400 dollars 1.93 .64(*)
problems 1001 dinars and more 1.63 .94(*) .30
The 1–700 dollars 1.94
physiological 700–1400 dollars 1.66 .28(*)
problems 1001 dinars and more 1.78 .16 −.12
The problems 1–700 dollars 2.22
as a whole 700–1400 dollars 1.90 .31(*)
1001 dinars and more 1.84 .38(*) .07
* significant at (α = 0.05)
Table 9. Divorced women problems according to the level of education.

Domain Rank No Means St. dev F-value sig.
The divorced women Below secondary 31 2.21 .447 1.623 .185
social problems Secondary 47 2.27 .517
University graduate 92 2.31 .497
Master’s and above 49 2.11 .630
Total 219 2.24 .530
psychological problems Secondary 47 1.87 .524
Total 219 1.89 .594
economic problems Secondary 47 2.61 .432
Total 219 2.23 .711
physiological problems Secondary 47 1.89 .672
Total 219 1.84 .693
The problems as a whole Below secondary 31 2.17 .499 10.725 .000
Secondary 47 2.16 .389
Total 219 2.07 .469
graduates and having less than secondary on the other hand. The differences
came in favor of those educated and university graduate divorced women.
There are statistically significant differences (α = 0.05) between the university
graduate divorced women and those who holder master’s degree and above. The
differences came in favor of university graduate in physiological problems. In
the problems as a whole, the differences came in favor of those whose education
is secondary and above and those who are university graduates.
Table 10. The effects of education level on the divorced women social problems.
Below second Second University Master’s
Domain Education level Mean secondary secondary graduate and above
The divorced Below secondary 2.16
women psychological Secondary 1.87 .29
problems University graduate 1.97 .19 −.10
Master’s and above 1.58 .58(*) .29 39(*)
The divorced women Below secondary 2.31
economic problems Secondary 2.61 −.29
University graduate 2.35 −.04 .25
Master’s and above 1.60 .71(*) 1.01(*) .75(*)
The divorced women Below secondary 1.94
physiological problems Secondary 1.89 .04
University graduate 1.94 .00 −.05
Master’s and above 1.54 .40 .35 .40(*)
The divorced women as Below secondary 2.17
a whole Secondary 2.16 .01
University graduate 2.15 .01 .00
Master’s and above 1.75 .42(*) .40(*) .40(*)
Age
The means, standard deviations, and one-way analysis of variance of the
divorced women problems according to age variable are presented in Table 11.
It is illustrated in Table 11 that there are statistically significant differences
at (α = 0.05) that can be attributed to the effect of age in all field problems
among the divorced women and the problems as a whole. To illustrate the pair
differences that are statistically significant, the dimensional comparison has
been used are illustrated in Table 12.
It is illustrated in Table 12 that there are statistically significant differences
(α = 0.05) between divorced women whose age is 42 years or more and those
whose age is less 33 years old. The differences came in favor of all who are less
than 33 years and 33–41 years old in the social, psychological, and economic
problems and for those divorced women and the problems as a whole. There
are statistically significant differences (α = 0.05) between those whose age is
42 years and more and 33–41 years old in favor of those whose age is (33–41)
years regarding physiological problems.
Family size
The mean, standard deviation, and one-way analysis of variance of Jordanian
divorced women problems according to family size are displayed in Table 13.
It can be illustrated from Table 13 that there are no statistically significant
differences at (α = 0.05) that can be attributed to family size in all problems as
a whole and the tool. This demonstrates that there is no relationship between
the problems of divorced women and family size either if the size of the family
is small, medium, or large.
Table 11. Variances of the divorced women problems.

Domain Rank No. Mean St. Dev. F-value Sig.
Social Less than 33 years 105 2.28 .466 8.918 .000
problems of 33–41 years 62 2.39 .549
divorced women 42 years and more 52 1.99 .553
Total 219 2.24 .530
Psychological problems of Less than 33 years 105 1.96 .537 5.360 .005
divorced women 33–41 years 62 1.96 .575
42 years and more 52 1.66 .674
Total 219 1.89 .594
Economic problems of Less than 33 years 105 2.32 .630 15.715 .000
divorced women 33–41 years 62 2.46 .685
Total 219 2.23 .711
Physiological problems of divorced women Less than 33 years 105 1.82 .638 3.057 .049
33–41 years 62 2.00 .789
Total 219 1.84 .693
Problems as a whole Less than 33 years 105 2.11 .386 13.083 .000
33–41 years 62 2.21 .453
Total 219 2.07 .469
Table 12. Effects of age on Jordanian divorced women.

Less than 42 years
Domain Age Means 33 years 33–41 years and more
Social problems of divorced Less than 33 years 2.28
women 33–41 years 2.39 −.12
42 years and more 1.99 .28(*) .40(*)
Psychological problems of Less than 33 years 1.96
divorced women 33–41 years 1.96 −.01 .01
42 years and more 1.66 .30(*) .31(*)
Economic problems of divorced Less than 33 years 2.32
women 33–41 years 2.46 −.14 .14
42 years and more 1.79 .53(*) .67(*)
Physiological problems of Less than 33 years 1.82
Divorced women 33–41 years 2.00 −.18
42 years and more 1.68 .14 .32(*)
The problems Less than 33 years 2.11
as a whole 33–41 years 2.21 −.10
42 years and more 1.80 .31(*) .41(*)
Discussion
The study found that the problems of divorced women resulting from divorce in
the first place were in the social and economic fields at the same level but varied
in the psychological and health fields. The most important social problems were
the society’s inferior and cruel look at the divorced woman, her feeling of
constant surveillance by others, and her exposure to harassment from those
around her. Therefore, society oppresses her when it keeps her within the circle
of control and suspicion. This explains the lack of confidence in her, as well as
what reinforces her low self-confidence. This embodies the most dangerous issue
that divorced women face in their lives. It explains the continuity of the old
cultural stereotype that society has maintained for a long time in its inferior view
Table 13. Variance of Jordanian divorced women problems according to family size.
Domain Rank No Mean St. dev. F-value Sig.
Divorced 3 kids and less 134 2.22 .535 1.146 .320
women social problems 4–6 kids 71 2.25 .534
More than 6 kids 14 2.44 .454
Total 219 2.24 .530
The psychological problems of divorced women 3 kids and less 134 1.85 .553 1.511 .223
4–6 kids 71 1.90 .608
Total 219 1.89 .594
The economic problems of 3 kids and less 134 2.14 .723 2.827 .061
divorced women 4–6 kids 71 2.38 .659
Total 219 2.23 .711
The physiological 3 kids and less 134 1.83 .672 2.162 .118
problems of divorced women 4–6 kids 71 1.78 .711
Total 219 1.84 .693
The problems as a whole 3 kids and less 134 2.03 .441 2.128 .122
4–6 kids 71 2.09 .478
Total 219 2.07 .469
of the divorced woman and its fight against the freedom of women. This is
consistent with the results of Al-Ghamdi (2009), Rathi and Pachauri (2018), Al-
Badayneh and Al-Qutaitat(2018), and Al-Khataybeh (2013) which showed that
the social effects are the most important factors on divorced women.
With regard to the economic problems of divorced women resulting from
divorce, first came their suffering from their monthly financial income that is not
sufficient to meet the basic needs and requirements of their children who suffer
from economic deprivation. It also showed the prevalence of poverty among
divorced women as 58.7% of them live below the poverty line, and their monthly
income (does not exceed 700 US dollars or less). This is consistent with the results
of Rathi and Pachauri (2018), Al-Gharaibeh (2015), and Al-Ghamdi (2009) that
revealed the most important effects of divorce on the divorced woman are the
economic problems. Also, it agrees with the results of Halawani (2006) that
revealed one of the effects of divorce is the deterioration of the economic status
of the divorced woman and the deprivation of their children’s economically, as
well as with the results of Al-Khataybeh (2013) study that showed that economic
problems were at the top of the list of family problems in Jordan.
In the third place came psychological problems. The most prominent
suffering of divorced women focused on the children’s feeling of losing the
tenderness of fatherhood and depression in the divorced woman. Women
often suffer psychological shock after the divorce to the extent that they may
take some drugs such as sedatives and painkillers to relieve the shock.
Divorce for a woman leads to a decline in the psychological state of the
divorced woman, which necessitates resorting to positive psychological
support from social workers, which is the missing thing in the Jordanian
society. This is consistent with the results of Taza (2014) and Al-Eid studies
but somewhat different from the results of Nagar and Gujarat’s (2011) study,
which confirmed the gradual psychological adaptation of divorced women.
With regard to physiological health problems, the most important
points of suffering were the increased consumption of sedatives and
sedatives, which led to changes in the woman’s physical structure after
divorce and her health condition, which worsened after the divorce. This
is the most important manifestation of the health problems suffered by
divorced women, and previous studies did not reveal this important
dimension. With regard to the impact of some social variables on the
problems of Jordanian divorced women, the results indicated that there
are differences in the impact of monthly income. Divorced women with
low incomes of 700 dollars or less are more affected by economic,
psychological, and health problems than other women with high income
of 701 dollars and above. While the study did not find differences attri
butable to income among divorced women about suffering from social
problems that have been proven to exist for everyone, regardless of
economic status. The results also indicated that there were statistically
significant differences due to the educational level. And it has been proven
that uneducated divorced women and those educated who did not pass
high school suffer more from economic, psychological, and health pro
blems compared to highly educated women (holders of a bachelor’s degree
and Master’s degree and above). And there were no differences attributed
to education specifically about suffering from social problems, as they are
all equal in front of these types of problems.
Regarding age, the results indicated that there are differences due to age
effects. Divorced women who are less than 42 years old suffer more from
social, economic, and psychological problems resulting from divorce com
pared to older women (42 years and older). Whereas, the oldest and the last
group suffered more in the field of health problems compared to the younger
divorced women, and this is a logical result. With age, the health status of the
divorced woman deteriorates further. As for the effect of the family size
variable, the results of the study did not find differences in the problems of
divorced women resulting from divorce, differences attributed to the size of
the family, which means that all women have the same sufferings.
Conclusion and recommendation

The study concluded that divorced women in Jordan still suffer to the same
degree from social and economic problems, which is represented in the society’s
inferior and cruel look at women, and constant monitoring, surveillance, and
sometimes sexual harassment by others. This embodies the persistence of the
stereotyped image of the society’s cultural look toward the divorced woman.
Economically, the divorced woman in Jordan suffers from poverty, a poor living
situation, and a life of deprivation in all its forms as 58.7% of them live below
the poverty line and their monthly income does not exceed $700 or less. The
consequences of divorce on women extend to the psychological aspects as they
become more vulnerable to depression, tension, anxiety, and taking sedatives,
not to mention their suffering from various physiological health problems. It is
worth mentioning that divorced women with less income, less education, and
younger age suffer more from the aforementioned economic, psychological,
and health problems than others who are better educated and economically
positioned and older. While all categories of divorced women in Jordan suffer
from social problems at the same level, and there is no significant difference.
These results of the study are important for governments, women’s organiza
tions, the Chief Justice Department in Jordan, and social workers working on
the women’s sector, as well as for the family when developing a strategy to
confront the risks of divorce on women. As well, the study is useful for the field
of family sociology, women’s studies, and social work.
The study recommends holding rehabilitation programs, seminars, and
special lectures for divorced women to help them overcome their crisis
resulting from divorce. Besides, the authorities in charge should deal with
poverty of divorced women in a way that guarantees for them and their
children a decent life. They should also develop awareness programs to pre
serve the marital life of the family in order to confront the escalating divorce
cases. The government can establish social institutions that are highly qualified
and trained in social work in the familial field and activate the social and
familial service. Moreover, the researcher recommends the necessity of doing
more research studies that focus and highlight on other dimensions related to
the phenomenon of divorced women.
Acknowledgments
The researcher extends his thanks and appreciation to all the women who participated in this
study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This research study did not receive any external fundings and was independently financed by
the researcher himself.
The Author Google Scholar Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=

e3ySxJifDl0C&hl=ar
Research Interest: Problems of Family and Youth, Extremism and Terrorism, Social
Community, Socio-political Studies,
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The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An Exploratory Study of Divorced

Article in Journal of Divorce & Remarriage · March 2022

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The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An

Yousef Damen Al Khataybeh

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The Consequences of Divorce on Women: An Exploratory

reached 28.6%. Remarkably, according to the data of Supreme Judge

The significance of the study

Limitations of the study

Population and of the study

Table 1. Characteristics of the study sample.

Demographic characteristics of the study sample

The study tool

Validity of the tool

Social problems of divorced women

Table 4. Psychological problems of divorced woman.

Psychological problems of divorced women

The economic problems of divorced women

Table 5. The economic problems of divorced women.

The physiological problems of divorced women

To answer this question and to illustrate the statistical differences of the

Table 6. The divorced women’s physiological problems.

Table 7. Divorced women problems according to the variable of monthly income.

Table 9. Divorced women problems according to the level of education.

Table 11. Variances of the divorced women problems.

Table 12. Effects of age on Jordanian divorced women.

Conclusion and recommendation

The Author Google Scholar Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=

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