Divorce on the rise in Jamaica

The number of divorcees in Jamaica is rising while the number of people getting married is falling, recent statistics have revealed.

According to the national demographic data, the courts in Jamaica granted a total of 14,895 divorces between 1996 and 2005. The overall rise in divorce during this period was 30 per cent.

The figures showed that most divorcees were married between the ages of 18 and 29, and for the majority it was their first marriage, although of those who had been married previously a large percentage were male.

Marriage therapist and associate director of the Counselling and Psychological Services Centre at Northern Caribbean University, Joan Latty, explained to the Jamaican Gleaner why the figures are rising and that many of the problems stem from childhood.

"These individuals are coming from different types of families, and I believe that this features a lot when you look at the personalities of the individuals coming out of these families.

"Then when they come together there is a carrying over of these personalities and behaviour conflicts," she commented.

The statistics also revealed some of the documented reasons behind the divorces in the country.

According to the figures 28 per cent of married men cheated on their partners, compared to 18 per cent of married women, while one-in-five of either sex admitted to romantically kissing someone else whilst married.