EXTERNAL JUDGMENT IN DIVORCE

 It is a long-standing cultural norm that the man is responsible for creating income, while the woman is responsible for domestic duties, child-bearing, and raising children. However, in modern life across many countries, women work shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands to create a better life, often in addition to maintaining their primary roles in raising children and managing the home.

Despite this reality, discrimination between men and women after divorce is still witnessed in the 21st century. Those who adhere to traditional thinking often cling to the belief that the man alone was working, and the wife "just relaxed and used his money." This perspective ignores the substantial financial contributions of working women and the equally critical non-monetary value of domestic labor and childcare.

While it is understandable that the families of the husband and wife may be angry and attempt to shift blame, the most problematic element is the behavior of external individuals—"outsiders"—who are not part of the marriage or the immediate families. These individuals often feel entitled to interject, judge, and generally verdict against the wife, frequently doing so "for the sake of their sons, fathers, and brothers."

It is remarkable to be a witness to this type of discrimination in North America, a region where law and regulations have carefully addressed and predicted complex divorce situations. When spouses cannot reach an agreement, they take their cases to court, where decisions are made based on evidence and established law. Yet, many individuals continue to assume the role of judges, issuing verdicts without knowledge of the facts or the law.

This injustice and discrimination are clearly rooted in unawareness and a lack of knowledge regarding the law. Such unsolicited public judgments constitute a form of emotional and mental abuse.

A strong case can be made for lawmakers in North America, and locally, to launch widespread public awareness campaigns through media. The goal of this educational effort would be to inform the public about the legal realities of divorce and property division, thereby stopping individuals from making assumptions and passing judgment without knowledge, and halting this pervasive discrimination immediately.