Determinants of Divorce in Ghana, 2008

Abstract

Divorce is becoming a major developmental issue in modern society because of its high rate of increase in recent years. While the phenomenon has gained much attention in research in the developed world, less is known in the developing world especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile works have shown that through the processes of modernization and globalization, Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana is beginning to experience the same family changes caused by divorce in the developed world. This study examined socio-economic factors as determinants of divorce among adult individuals in Ghana. Using GDHS (2008) data, a sample of 4649 was obtained through interviews in a survey. The data was analyzed using the binary regression model and chi-square statistics. The findings from the binary logistic regression recorded five variables (respondents with or without children, remarriage, place of residence, ethnicity, educational attainment and wealth index) to predict divorce at the 95% confidence level. Based on these findings, it is recommended that family counselors and religious leaders should take the initiative to counsel couples and families on how modernization has brought about changing roles of males and females. In addition they should counsel couples on how to adjust and cope with these changing roles in our modern society. Key words: divorce, marital dissolution, marital disruptions