Why are more and more marriages breaking down?

A growing trend of marital breakdowns is leading experts to question the root causes behind the increasing divorce rates. Beyond individual conflicts, sociologists and psychologists point to broader societal shifts as significant contributors to the dissolution of marriages.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyễn Đức Lộc, Director of the SocialLife Institute, emphasizes that viewing divorce solely through the lens of individual personality clashes is insufficient. He highlights the impact of modern life, such as the pressures of livelihood, labor migration, shift work, and extended working hours, which leave family members with less time for each other. This reduced interaction hinders the ability to build and maintain a strong marital foundation.

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Marriage is a process of building a new family together. But when the social structure operates in a way that gives people fewer opportunities to interact and understand each other, maintaining a marriage becomes more difficult.

From a psychological perspective, Master Võ Minh Thành, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, notes that behind every divorce filing often lies years of accumulated, unresolved emotional wounds. These can manifest as feelings of being controlled, unacknowledged sacrifices, or the inability to accept an ex-partner's post-divorce success, leading to disputes over child custody. These seemingly irrational behaviors stem from unmet emotional needs and unrecognized trauma.

Experts also express concern about the consequences for children. The most worrying aspect, they argue, is not the divorce itself, but how adults manage the aftermath. Children can be placed in difficult positions, forced to choose between parents, exposed to negative comments about one parent, or even prevented from seeing a parent, adding emotional burdens to an already challenging situation.

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There are those who feel controlled in their own homes. Some believe their sacrifices over the years have never been recognized. Others cannot accept that their ex-partner is doing better after the divorce, leading them to fight for child custody. These seemingly incomprehensible behaviors actually stem from emotional needs and traumas that have not been properly identified.