Socio-Economic Costs and Predictors of Divorce in Kumasi Metropolis in Ashanti Region of Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the socio-economic costs and predictors of divorce in Kumasi Metropolis in Ashanti Region of Ghana. The concurrent triangulation mixed methods design was adopted. The study population was 65,750 registered divorcees, marriage counsellors, judges, and religious leaders in the Metropolis. The sample size was 450, which comprised 420 divorcees, 13 marriage counsellors, four judges, and 13 religious leaders. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants while stratified random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyse the quantitative data while the qualitative data were analysed thematically based on the specific purposes of the study. The study revealed that divorcees in the Kumasi Metropolis are facing high level of socio-economic costs of divorce which to a large extent are hampering their standard of living. Furthermore, the study revealed that the seven predominant predictors of divorce in the Metropolis were infertility, infidelity, domestic violence, duration of marriage, alcoholism and narcotic usage, sexual intimacy, and age at first marriage. In addition, the results showed that psycho-socio-personal variables predicted 81.3 percent of the variance in divorce. It was recommended that couples choose the option of mediation through an alternative resolution dispute mechanism in order to avoid the heavy costs incurred during the divorce process. Also, religious bodies should collaborate with professional marriage counsellors to continuously organise comprehensive pre and post marital counselling intervention programmes for yet to be, new, and old couples.