Divorce Is Easier Than Compromise

Experts believe that spouses' unwillingness to work on their relationships and seek compromises has become one of the reasons for divorces in Russia. Elena Kalinina, chair of the St. Petersburg branch of the Union of Women of Russia, notes that family life requires effort from both partners, but not everyone is ready to solve problems together. At the same time, women's economic independence reduces their dependence on marriage and allows them not to preserve relationships where there is disrespect or violence. As a result, the very approach to divorce is changing: spouses are more often willing to end relationships if they see no possibility of reaching an agreement and changing the situation.

The most recent published operational data on marriages and divorces relates to the first quarter of 2025. Between January and March, Russia registered 151,400 marriages and 117,100 divorces, with the number of marriage dissolutions down 26.7% year-over-year. Since then, nationwide operational statistics on marriages and divorces have not been updated publicly. Meanwhile, the current Federal Plan for Statistical Work provides for monthly publication of these indicators.

The 2025 statistics also reflect another important change: as of January 1, the state fee for divorce increased from 650 to 5,000 rubles per spouse. Thus, divorce became more than seven times more expensive.

Marriage is no longer expected to provide just family

Against this backdrop, what's changing is not so much the value of marriage itself, but rather attitudes toward its dissolution. According to Tatyana Smak, an expert at VTsIOM's Analytical Center, Russians are becoming more tolerant of divorce: it is increasingly less perceived as a deviation from the norm.

"Russians are becoming increasingly accepting of divorce; it is no longer perceived as a deviation from the norm, and in recent years this position has only strengthened."

Yet the value of family hasn't disappeared. According to VTsIOM data, about 7 out of 10 Russians still consider official marriage the preferable form of relationship. This creates a paradox: the institution of marriage retains high appeal, but the fact of its dissolution is no longer perceived as a life failure.

Expectations for relationships within families have also changed. According to Smak, traditional reasons for divorce—financial difficulties and lack of mutual understanding—have been joined by domestic violence, addictions, infidelity, misaligned values, differences in life goals, and approaches to raising children.

"The list of reasons is expanding because demands for relationship quality in marriage are growing," the expert says.

That's why registered divorce increasingly looks not like a singular problem, but rather the legal conclusion of a family crisis that has already occurred. Spouses may maintain official status for years because of children, housing, money, or reluctance to change their accustomed way of life.

Children remain the main brake

The presence of children remains one of the main factors forcing spouses to postpone divorce. At the same time, having a minor child doesn't necessarily mean spouses will have to go through a complex court process: if both agree to the divorce and there's no dispute about the children, the procedure goes through court in simplified form. Divorce through the registry office is possible without court if the spouses have no minor children in common and both consent to dissolving the marriage. Court proceedings are required, in particular, when there are minor children, if one spouse doesn't agree to the divorce or evades it, and also in disputes over children and property.

In 2025, courts received 331,800 cases for dissolution of marriage between spouses with children—15.7% fewer than a year earlier. But this statistic doesn't reflect all divorces: it only covers a specific judicial category.

According to Tatyana Smak, the culture of co-parenting after separation isn't yet sufficiently widespread in Russia. After divorce, children more often remain with the mother, which increases her burden and can reduce the father's participation in day-to-day parenting.

The legal procedure, meanwhile, may turn out simpler than commonly believed. Attorney Svetlana Fomina notes that when minor children are involved, divorce goes through the courts, but the length of the process largely depends on the other spouse's position. If there are no objections, the case can be resolved quickly. If the spouse requests time for reconciliation, the court has the right to grant it.

"The first year of a child's life is the most difficult, precisely from the standpoint of marital relations," says Svetlana Fomina.

She also reminds that a man cannot file for divorce without his wife's consent during her pregnancy and until the child reaches one year of age.

At the same time, the judicial system itself rarely becomes a mechanism for preserving marriage. In 2025, petitions for divorce were granted in virtually all cases where the court issued a decision. This shows that the court mainly formalizes a decision already made by the spouses or one of them, rather than determining whether to preserve the family or not.

After divorce, a different family begins

Legally, marriage ends after dissolution, but family relations don't stop there. Alimony, children's place of residence, and visitation arrangements come to the forefront.

In 2025, courts received 98,800 cases for child support for minors. Another 8,300 cases concerned determining a child's place of residence when parents live separately.

These disputes show precisely why divorce cannot be reduced to a mere marriage dissolution procedure. Afterward, former spouses must build a new system of relations—no longer as husband and wife, but as parents of a shared child.

Svetlana Fomina believes that some conflicts can be prevented even before the marriage is dissolved. Spouses can agree in advance on property division, alimony, children's place of residence, and visitation arrangements.

"Mediation is generally the most ideal tool for spouses to resolve all issues before dissolving the marriage, document everything formally, and then calmly go to magistrate court, get divorced, and live long and happily according to their agreements."

Family conflict can also shift into the property sphere. In 2025, courts registered about 23,000 cases on division of jointly acquired property, with claimed amounts totaling 54.1 billion rubles. Therefore, for many families, divorce turns out to be not only an emotional but also a major financial event.

In Svetlana Fomina's view, one of the main mistakes spouses make is dissolving the marriage first and only then starting to resolve property division. Overall, a prenuptial agreement or property division agreement allows couples to determine the property regime in advance and reduce the likelihood of a protracted court dispute.

Divorce is becoming socially acceptable

Ultimately, the decline in official divorces doesn't necessarily mean Russian families have become stronger. The statistics are influenced by children, financial circumstances, peculiarities of court proceedings, and as of 2025, the substantially increased cost of the procedure itself. Moreover, the latest available nationwide data only covers the first quarter of 2025, so it's premature to assess further trends.

What's changing far more noticeably is the attitude toward divorce itself. Remarriage is becoming a normal life scenario. At the same time, expectations for relationships are rising: spouses are paying more attention to respect, safety, mutual understanding, and the ability to negotiate. That's why modern divorce increasingly reflects not a rejection of family as such, but an unwillingness to preserve a family at any cost.