There's a high divorce rate in Belarus. For example, in 2012, there were 86.8 thousand marriages and 38.6 thousand divorces.
"In fact, every two marriages in the country account for a divorce", said Deputy Head of Population, gender and family policies of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection Maryna Arciomenka.
The reasons for this, as she sees, are the weak preparation of future spouses to family life. According to her, young people, especially future fathers, need to be prepared for marriage. The official says that the family is often unstable due to the fact that spouses are not fully aware of the fact that marriage - is not only rights but also duties, BelTA informs.
According to Maryna Arciomenka, about 60% of couples have children in a divorce, and the number of single-parent families increased in 1.7 times from 1999 to 2009. However, the level of celibacy in the country is relatively low, since 62% of men and 52% of women get married at the age of 15 and older.
At the same time the average age of first marriage is gradually increasing in Belarus. The average age of the bride's first marriage is 24.4 years, while that of the groom - 26.5 years.
