by Staff Reporter
PALMA
THE Balearics had the second highest divorce rate in Spain in 2005, with 27.27 demands for divorce per 1'000 inhabitants, according to a report released by the courts.
This figure was beaten only by the Canary Islands where there were 27.58 demands for divorce per 1'000 inhabitants.
The regions with fewest requests for divorce were Extremadura with 12.26 per 1'000 inhabitants, followed by Castilla-Leon with 12.79 and Castilla-La Mancha with 13.41.
As to separations, the Balearics recorded more than ten per 1'000 inhabitants.
The report attributed the increase in divorces (by mutual consent or otherwise) to the change in the law of 15/2005, which also led to a reduction in separations.
The report also pointed out that throughout Spain, there had been an 81 per cent increase in the number of divorces by mutual consent in the third quarter of 2005, compared to the same period in 2004.
Majorca was once the favourite destination for Spanish honeymooners, and was known as the island of love.
But over the past seven years, the number of separations and divorces have risen by 33 per cent.
The new law permits quickie divorces which has led to a drop in the number of separations.
20 YEARS
Statistics show that the highest number of divorces and separations occurs in couples who have been married for more than 20 years.
The second largest group is those who have been married between five and ten years. There is a marked drop in the group married between ten and 20 years.
More than a third of divorces are among people who are aged between 40 and 49 and more often than not it is the woman who starts the procedings.
Most of the couples who divorce have no children or just one child.