Monster-In-Law

KUALA LUMPUR: Parents-in-law or, more specifically, mother-in-law horror stories are widespread and with good reason as a study by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) shows.

Meddlesome in-laws are the main reason Indian couples divorce but it figures as one of the top reasons for divorce among Chinese and Malay couples, too.

The Malaysia Community and Family Study 2004 showed that the two other factors are incompatibility at 42.3% and infidelity at 12%.

“Interference of in-laws is the main reason why Indians divorce. It is the top ranked reason at 30%,” said LPPKN Director General Datuk Aminah Abdul Rahman when presenting a paper on Malaysia’s family profile and its effects Monday at Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia.

Infidelity is a deal breaker in Malay and Indian marriages but it appears to be tolerated among the Chinese.

“Among Malays, the second most common reason for a divorce is infidelity and a refusal to put up with polygamy (enggan dimadukan),” she said.

“In the Indian community, infidelity is the second highest ranked reason for divorce at 25%,” she said.

However, the Chinese considered infidelity the least crucial reason to demand a divorce. Cheating nestled at the bottom along with health and gambling addiction reasons at 4.2%.

Surprisingly, abuse is not a reason for divorce among the Malays and Chinese, but is a known reason among Indians at 5%.

“Another overall reason that ranked high among the three races at 11.5% is ‘not being responsible’,” she said.

She explained that though the family institution was perceived as quite fragile and divorces rampant, the data showed otherwise.

“According to a population survey in 2000, only a portion of the population at 0.7% is divorced,” she said.

The data showed that divorce is more likely to happen to those in the age group under 25 and above 40.