Explaining the Surge in Divorce in Iran and Redefining the Family in the New Discourse of Conjugality

Statistics show that the divorce-to-marriage ratio reached about 50 percent in the year 1403 (2024–25), and divorce has also increased in marriages lasting more than ten years. Existing studies identify factors such as unemployment, inflation, addiction, cyberspace, and lifestyle changes as the main causes; however, this study regards these factors as contextual and intervening rather than fundamental causes. Its main question is which historical processes and underrecognized structural patterns the surge in divorce is linked to, and how it interacts with contemporary factors. The study employs an analytical-historical and interdisciplinary method and draws on statistical data, legal and policy documents, and psychological-sociological literature. The findings indicate that the Iranian family is caught in an “unfinished transition” from a patriarchal order to a different order. Patriarchy, as a historical construct, has naturalized and reproduced power relations within the family. Prescriptive modernization during the Pahlavi era and afterward introduced changes from above and without sufficient cultural groundwork, creating a latent conflict between tradition and modernity. Media, urbanization, women’s employment, and their financial independence also moderated men’s power, but did not lead to an empathetic redefinition of relations between the sexes. More importantly, psychological wounds and old patterns of power have been transmitted intergenerationally to children, and in their future married life this legacy leads to power competition, a lack of dialogue skills, and ultimately divorce. The article concludes that purely economic, legal, or counseling-based policymaking is not sufficient. It therefore argues for the necessity of a change in mindset and a redefinition of the family based on “conjugality,” synergy, shared responsibility, and dialogue.