If the number of divorces in relation to the population had remained the same in 1905 as in 1870, the exact number of divorces in 1905 would have been 24,000, and not 67,791, as actually was the case. The total number of divorces from 1867 to 1886 was 328,716; from 1887 to 1906, 945,625. The United States have the highest divorce-rate. For every thousand marriages there were the following number of divorces: In 1870, 81; in 1880, 107; in 1890, 148; in 1900, 200. Why is divorce more frequent in the United States than in any other country? Firstly, because in some of the states the divorce laws are less rigorous than in most of the other countries, and, secondly, because women enjoy a freer, more independent position than in any other country of the world, and are accordingly less willing to submit to the tyranny of husbands.
The following shows the number of divorces in Germany from 1891 to 1900:
| Years | 1891. | 1892. | 1893. | 1894. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divorces | 6,678 | 6,513 | 6,694 | 7,502 | 8,326 | 8,601 | 9,005 | 9,143 | 9,563 | 7,928 |
We see that from 1899 to 1900, the number of divorces have decreased by 1,635, because on the first of January, 1900, the new code of civil law went into effect which made divorce more difficult. But life is stronger than law. After there was a decrease in the divorce-rate from 1900 to 1902, there has been a rapid increase ever since, as the following table shows:
| Years | 1901. | 1902. | 1903. | 1904. | 1905. | 1906. | 1907. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divorces | 7,964 | 9,069 | 9,933 | 10,868 | 11,147 | 12,180 | 12,489 |
In Saxony, too, in spite of various fluctuations, there has been a steady increase, as may be seen from the following table:
| Years. | Divorces. | For each 1,000 marriages. |
|---|---|---|
| 1836–1840 | 356 | 121 |
| 1846–1850 | 395 | 121 |
| 1871–1875 | 581 | 122 |
| 1891–1895 | 921 | 138 |
| 1896–1900 | 1,130 | 151 |
| 1901–1905 | 1,385 | 168 |
For each thousand marriages in Prussia there were the following number of divorces: 1881 to 1885, 67.62; 1886 to 1890, 80.55; 1891 to 1895, 86.77; 1896, 101.97; 1905, 106; 1908, 121. That is a tremendous increase. The increase of divorce is not a national but an international symptom. For each thousand marriages there were the following number of divorces in:
| 1876–1880. | 1881–1885. | 1886–1890. | At the close of the century. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | .. | 19.4 | 19.7 | 31. |
| Hungary | 31.6 | 30.4 | 30.5 | 58. |
| Roumania | 37.3 | 52.3 | 73.1 | 98. |
| Italy | 11.8 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 15. |
| France | 33.9 | 75.9 | 80.9 | 129. |
| England & Wales | 6.5 | 7.4 | 7. | 10.6 |
| Scotland | 12.3 | 13. | 16.7 | 26. |
| Ireland | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1. |
| Belgium | 25.5 | 31.9 | 43. | 72. |
| Netherlands | .. | .. | .. | 78. |
| Norway | 13.9 | 12.1 | 19.3 | 33. |
| Sweden | 28.5 | 28.6 | 31.6 | 45. |
| Finland | 16.1 | 7.8 | 10.0 | 29. |
| Switzerland | 220. | 200. | 188. | 199.9 |
It would be a great mistake to draw conclusions from these widely diverging figures about the moral status of the various countries enumerated above. No one would claim, that cause for divorce is four times greater among the Swedish people than among the English people. The laws must be taken into consideration that make divorce more or less difficult as the case may be.[54] The moral status, that is, the causes making divorce appear desirable to either man or woman, are a secondary consideration. But the figures show, that the divorce-rate is increasing more rapidly than the population; that is increasing, in fact, while the marriage-rate is decreasing. We will return to this phase of the question later on. Great differences of age between husband and wife play a considerable part in divorce. That is shown by the following table gathered from official statistics in Switzerland: