JAKARTA - Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that the trend of divorce continues to rise. On the other hand, the number of marriages actually decreased.
The news of the divorce of West Java Governor Ridwal Kamil with Atalia Praratya recently surprised the public. Understandably, the two often show off their closeness on social media. The public even called the Ridwan and Atalia couple as a couple goals.
"The lawsuit filed by the initials AT to RK was granted. However, it was read electronically, it cannot be made public," said Humas Bandung Religious Court, Ikhwan Sopiyan.
Atalia and Ridwan's marriage ended after they sailed the household for 25 years. Divorce in couples over 50 years old is commonly referred to as gray divorce or gray divorce.
Divorce Rate IncreasesBefore Atalia and Ridwan Kamil, the gray divorce also experienced Bill Gates (65) and Melinda Gates (56) in 2021 also shocked the world. The couple who had been married for 27 years and had three children also had to end in divorce.
"Gray divorce is becoming more common. In old age, a person not only wants to live longer and healthier, but also to still have opportunities," said Israel Helfans, who manages a retreat for couples whose marriages are on the verge of collapse.
"They also become more selective in determining the level of happiness they want and they don't want to compromise on that," he added.
In general, divorce has increased year by year. Throughout 2025, there were a number of divorces among celebrities such as Raissa and Hamish Daud, influencer Tasya Farasya and Ahmad Assegaf, footballer Pratama Arhan and Azizah Salsha, Baim Wong and Paula Verhoven, to Sherina Munaf and Baskara Mahendra.
However, divorce among public figures is only an echo of a wider reality. Divorce is actually not an exclusive story belonging to celebrities. Divorce is now a social portrait that is increasingly familiar in the community.
As of September 1, 2025, the Religious Court recorded 317,056 divorce rulings. This figure is almost equal to the total divorce throughout 2024.
Meanwhile, BPS data shows that the trend of divorce continues to increase from 2019 to 2022, while the marriage rate has actually decreased.
Several reasons were revealed as to why the couple chose to part ways. According to BPS, in 2024, six out of ten divorce cases were caused by continuous quarrels. In this case, conflict is no longer just ego, but about communication inequality and social pressure.
In addition, a quarter of divorce cases are triggered by financial problems. Meanwhile, as many as eight percent are because they are abandoned by their partners, as well as a small percentage due to infidelity, gambling, or drug and alcohol abuse.
Women File for DivorceHead of the Religion and Belief Research Center (PRAK) of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Aji Sofanudin said, based on BPS data in 2024 there were around 408,347 divorce cases, of which 78 percent were filed by the wife.
This was confirmed by Warnis, PRAK's Principal Expert Researcher, who said that there were six main factors that prompted women to file for divorce, namely the economy, the husband was not responsible, lack of emotional support, infidelity, domestic violence, and awareness of legal rights.
This note is in line with data from the Ministry of Religion, that the majority of divorce lawsuits in Indonesia are filed by the female party. This is a sign of a significant social change.
If in the past women were more required to obey their husbands, things have started to shift. Now, women have greater agency to determine their own fate, including choosing to get out of unhealthy relationships.
Women in the present era are no longer passive in the face of domestic conflict. And, the decision to end a marriage is not a reflection of failure, beyond the form of rationality to choose peace rather than survive in inequality.
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