Is a lack of sex causing divorces?
Published:Sunday | November 4, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Spend more time under the sheets - Christian pastor
Tyrone Reid, Senior Staff Reporter
Christian pastor Carla Dunbar listed infrequent instances of sexual intercourse as one of the reasons for the increasing number of divorces in Jamaica.
But Dunbar, who is the pastor of the Orange Bay Church of God of Prophecy, as well as the Buff Bay Church of God of Prophecy in Portland, argues that this is not the only reason.
"Sexual frequency speaks to a healthy marriage ... (because) sex is a good glue, but it is more than sex," Dunbar told The Sunday Gleaner.
"Enough attention is not being placed on the needs of the other person. Some persons have become self-centred and marriage is 'other centred'," added Dunbar.
She was responding to the latest statistics confirming that thousands of married Jamaicans are calling it quits.
Data published in the 2011 Population and Housing Census show that between 2001 and 2011, divorces increased by 60 per cent and legal separation swelled by 63 per cent.
The statistics also revealed that of the 1,924,041 persons 16 years and older in the country, more than 461-thousand of them are married, 37,379 identified themselves as divorced and 18,089 persons said they were legally separated.
A comparison with the data published in the 2001 census showed that the total number of married people declined from 463,551 to 461,240 and the number of divorced people increased from 23,534 to 37,379.
In addition, the number of legally separated persons moved up from 11,070 to 18,089.
Dunbar attributed the rise in divorces to persons entering into marriage lightly and unadvisedly.
"Premarital counselling won't eliminate the challenges, but it will prepare couples to better deal with them," she told The Sunday Gleaner.
Dunbar, who is dubbed 'Professor Sex' by some Jamaicans because of her advocacy of frequent sexual relations between husbands and wives, insisted that the prevailing problems leading to the break-up of an increasing number of marital unions run deeper than a lack of sexual intercourse.
The pastor, who said she is very, very concerned about the spike in divorces and legal separation, also said that the sacredness of nuptials is not esteemed as it once was in the Jamaican society.
"Marriage is seen as a disposable plate that can be used and then discarded. No value is placed on marriage like God places value on marriage. Our society sees shacking up as the norm," she said.
The never-married population stood at 1,310,289 in 2011, but includes thousands of high-school students between the ages of 16 and 19.
waiting 'til 30
It appears most Jamaicans wait until after their 30th birthday to jump the broom.
"In terms of age, the data show that, as expected, the proportions of never married were highest among the youngest age groups, with 94 per cent of the population less than 30 years old being never married.
The proportion declined with age and by 65 years and over, only 28 per cent of the population was categorised as never married.
"Marriage, on the other hand, increases with age from four per cent of the youngest to 41 per cent of the 45-64 years old. After that age, the proportion remains high, but declines as persons enter the state of widowhood," read a section of the census report.
In their notes on marital status, the statisticians also pointed out that "the definition of marriage used was in keeping with that proposed by the United Nations for statistical purposes as the act, ceremony or process by which the legal relationship of husband and wife is constituted."
It was also noted that the legality of the union may be established by civil, religious or other means recognised by the laws of the country.
"For Jamaica, marriages of East Indians according to Hindu custom are recognised. A legally married person is still regarded as married whether or not living with the person to whom he or she is married," read another section of the census report.
The parish of St Andrew had the most married people and the most divorcees as well coming in at 97,573 and 10,477 respectively.
St Catherine was a close second in both categories, with 95,056 married persons and 7,961 divorcees.
Jamaica's capital - Kingston - recorded the least number of married persons across the 14 parishes with 7,975, but Hanover recorded the least number of divorcees with 696.
The statisticians also pointed out that there was a slight disparity with the number of married men versus married women in Jamaica.
"Technically, the number of married men should equal the number of married women, but the sex differential (25 per cent men and 24 per cent women) is likely accounted for by spouses who are not resident in the country.