Marriage and divorce in Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

This is a study of patterns of marriage and divorce among the Malays in Kelantan. In the area of marriage an attempt has been made to examine the age at first marriage especially among women. In the area of divorce an attempt has been made to examine the various interrrelated factors that caused the high divorce rates in the state. Factors associated with the changes in age at first marriage as well as with divorce are examined in the light of dynamic changes over the last three decades. For the purpose of this study, two main data sets have been employed, namely, the 1974 Malaysian Fertility and Family Survey sub-sample for the Malay female respondents in the state of Kelantan and the 1981 Mukim Jenereh Tujuh Case Study. It is hoped that findings of this study will give some implications for policy making as well as for future research, especially in the area of nuptiality patterns and fertility levels among the Malays in Kelantan.