Malay Marriage and Divorce in Peninsular Malaysia: Three Decades of Change

In the 1950s nuptiality among the Malays of Peninsular Malaysia was characterized by early near universal marriage polygyny and a high incidence of divorce--a pattern common to most Muslim societies. The past 3 and especially the past 2 decades have witnessed a sharp rise in age at marriage for females sharp declines in the incidence of divorce and of polygymy and a narrowing of the age difference between husbands and wives. These interrelated trends are tied to education. Westernization and other aspects of social change and the new marriage patterns in turn have had profound effects on interspouse and intergenerational relationships. (Authors)