The number of divorced men and women in the Kingdom is nearing a quarter of a million, according to a report issued by the General Authority for Statistics. By the second half of 2015, there were 228,275 divorced Saudis, said Makkah Arabic daily quoting the report. Out of 228,275 divorced Saudis, 66,629 were men and 161,646 women. King Saud University Assistant Professor of Sociology Murdhiyah Al-Bardissy said the Ministry of Social Affairs should take these statistics seriously and put in place an active plan to decrease the rate of divorce. "Many young couples have an unrealistic expectation of marriage propagated to them by the media. "The ministry is offering courses and seminars on healthy marriage, but there must be a committee evaluating the effectiveness of these seminars," said Al-Bardissy. She said that the ministry should also support newlyweds by establishing family consultancy centers. The ministry has a budget of SR30 million to support newlyweds and engaged couples. "The ministry should have a comprehensive program which supports newlyweds and engaged couples emotionally, psychologically and financially," said Al-Bardissy.
