Divorce Rate in Çorum and Marriage: What Do the Figures Say About Family Life?

The divorce rate in Çorum has fallen below the Turkish average. What do official figures say about marriage, divorce and family life? A psychological reading.

Divorce has become a frequently discussed topic in Turkey in recent years. According to the 2025 Marriage and Divorce Statistics of TÜİK (the Turkish Statistical Institute), the crude divorce rate across the country rose to 2.26 per thousand, the highest figure seen since 2001. In the same year, the divorce rate in Çorum moved in the opposite direction: it fell from 2.30 per thousand to 2.12 per thousand. At first glance this might lead to a reassuring conclusion such as "families in Çorum are more stable". Yet figures alone do not show how happy or how difficult a marriage is. In this article I will try to read Çorum's marriage and divorce data alongside the figures for Turkey as a whole, and then talk about what this picture might mean for family life and for the inner world of couples.

What Do the Figures Say? The Divorce Rate in Çorum and Marriage Data

According to local press reports citing TÜİK's 2025 data, 3,238 couples married in Çorum in 2025; the year before, the number was 3,263. The crude marriage rate, at 6.22 per thousand, is quite close to the Turkish average (6.43 per thousand). In other words, people in Çorum are not marrying noticeably less or more than in the rest of the country.

On the divorce side, however, the picture is a little different:

• Number of divorces: 1,102 in 2025. In 2024 this figure was 1,206, which means a decrease of around 8.6% in one year.
• Crude divorce rate: 2.12 per thousand. In Turkey the same rate is 2.26 per thousand.
• Length of marriage: Around 36% of divorces take place within the first five years of marriage (a calculation based on the duration breakdown published in the local press). By contrast, around 30% of divorces, that is 335 of them, occur in marriages that have lasted 16 years or longer.
• Age at first marriage: 28.2 for men and 25.8 for women. In Turkey these ages are 28.5 and 26.0. People in Çorum marry slightly earlier than the national average, and the age at first marriage is slowly rising.

According to secondary sources that compile TÜİK data at provincial level, 64.7% of the population aged 15 and over in Çorum is married, 4.5% is divorced, 8.2% has lost a spouse and 22.5% has never married. The average household size is 2.71 people (Turkey: 3.08); 61.6% of households are nuclear families and 12.5% are extended family households.

The limits of the data

When reading these figures it is worth bearing a few points in mind. The crude divorce rate is the number of divorces in a year divided by the total population, not by the number of married couples. In a province with a high proportion of older people, those who are not at an age to marry or divorce are included in the denominator, so the rate can naturally come out lower. Given Çorum's ageing population structure, this is an important detail. Moreover, a fall in a single year does not show that there is a lasting trend. Finally, official records only count divorces that end with a court decision; they cannot see couples who in practice live apart, or who live "separate lives" under the same roof.

A Sociological Reading: Why Might the Divorce Rate in Çorum Be Low?

It is not possible to attribute the fact that the divorce rate in Çorum is below the Turkish average to a single cause. However, it is possible to reflect on some structural factors that might explain the data. These are not definite causes but possible factors.

Age structure. As I mentioned above, a high proportion of older people pulls crude rates down. The fact that some of the young adults, among whom divorce is more common, migrate out of the province may also be contributing to this picture.

Family and kinship networks. In a medium-sized Anatolian city, families know one another and news travels fast. On the one hand, this closeness supports couples; in difficult times childcare, a loan or advice can be found. On the other hand, the worry about "what will people say" can turn divorce into a matter for the whole family rather than for the couple alone.

Economic dependence. For a spouse with no income of their own, leaving can mean not only an emotional but also an economic precipice. In such cases, even if the marriage continues, this may show not that the relationship is good but that the options have narrowed.

Values and a culture of "putting up with it". Beliefs passed down from generation to generation, such as "marriage requires patience" or "you stay together for the children", can encourage problems to be postponed rather than solved.

None of these factors is unique to Çorum; they can be seen in many Anatolian cities of a similar size. What matters is not to read a low divorce rate automatically as "happy marriages".

A marriage lasting and a marriage going well are not the same thing; the figures count the first, and only the couple themselves know the second.

A Psychological Reading: The First Five Years and Long Marriages

The duration breakdown of divorces in Çorum highlights two periods: the early years of marriage and long-term marriages. From a psychological point of view, these two periods carry very different needs.

The early years: adjustment, boundaries and expectations

The first years of marriage are the period in which two separate family cultures meet in a single home. Let us say a young couple, after marrying, move into the same block of flats as the husband's family. The mother-in-law's frequent visits, the household's mealtime routines and questions such as whose family to visit during the religious holidays can turn into areas of conflict at a time when the couple have not yet been able to establish their own rules. Difficulties commonly seen in this period include:

• Not being able to separate emotionally from one's own family, and giving more weight to a parent's word than to the spouse's,
• Unspoken expectations about money, housework and the sharing of responsibilities,
• When conflict arises, either falling silent or escalating the argument,
• The sleeplessness, tiredness and role changes that come with the first child.

These difficulties do not mean the marriage is "wrong"; most of them can be overcome with communication and boundary-setting skills that can be learned. Establishing healthy boundaries with the extended family is one of the couple's most important tasks in this period.

Long marriages: a quiet drifting apart

It is also striking that roughly a third of divorces occur in marriages of 16 years or more. Separations in long marriages often arise not from a sudden break but from a quiet drifting apart that builds up over the years. Turning points such as the children growing up and leaving home, retirement, or the burden of caring for elderly parents can bring to the surface questions the couple have put off for years: "What are we without the children?", "Can we still talk to each other?"

Among the feelings experienced during this period, loneliness, resentment, a sense of wasted years and worry about the future may come to the fore. The spouse who does not want to separate may experience intense grief and uncertainty just as much as the spouse who is thinking of leaving.

Couples who do not divorce but are unhappy

The invisible side of a low divorce rate is couples who live under the same roof but have become emotionally disconnected. This is sometimes called "emotional divorce". The spouses relate to each other only through the children, the bills and visits to relatives. Living in such a marriage for a long time can show itself as anxiety, low mood, physical complaints and outbursts of anger. Children, too, feel the tension at home even when there is no open argument.

Through the children's eyes

Children do not appear as a separate line in marriage statistics, but they are often behind every figure. What matters most for children is not so much whether their parents are married or divorced as the nature of the conflict at home. Growing up in a home with constant shouting, sulking or tense silence can show itself as anxiety, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating at school or anger. By contrast, even where a decision to separate has been made, children can adjust to the change more easily when the parents manage to keep a respectful tone and do not make the child take sides in their disputes. For this reason, whether you decide to stay married or to separate, not putting your child in the position of "messenger" or "confidant" noticeably lightens their emotional load. Giving short, honest answers suited to the child's age, and saying clearly that it is not their fault, is also a protective step.

Practical Suggestions for Families and Couples

Regardless of the figures, every marriage should be considered in its own circumstances. Even so, the following suggestions can help many couples:

1. Have regular "us" conversations. Once a week, without the children and without phones, set aside time just to talk about your relationship. Try to describe your need rather than the problem: instead of "You always come home late", try "I need to spend time with you in the evenings."
2. Set boundaries with the families together. On matters such as how often to visit, financial help and raising children, first agree with your spouse, then communicate the decision to the families together.
3. Be financially transparent. Being open about income, debts and spending is the foundation of trust. When both spouses know about the household finances, it reduces the sense of helplessness in a possible crisis.
4. Prepare for turning points. Before transitions such as the birth of a child, the children leaving home or retirement, talk about how this change might affect your relationship.
5. Talk about the cycle of the argument, not the argument itself. Instead of the question "Who is right?", focus on the question "At what point do we lose each other?"
6. Do not rush the decision to divorce, but do not postpone it indefinitely either. If you are at the decision stage, the article I wrote on making the decision to divorce may help you organise your thoughts.

A note for the older members of the family as well: supporting your adult child's marriage does not mean making decisions on their behalf. Listening, not judging and leaving room for the couple to find their own solution is often the most protective attitude.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

Every marriage has its ups and downs. However, it may be helpful to seek support from a professional in the following situations:

• If the same arguments have been repeating for months without resolution,
• If conversation between the spouses has almost entirely stopped, or only essential matters are discussed,
• If there has been infidelity, a serious breach of trust or a financial crisis,
• If one of the spouses has been feeling low, anxious or hopeless for a long time,
• If the children show sleep, school or behavioural problems that may be linked to the tension at home,
• If you are at the stage of deciding to divorce and want to manage the process with the least possible harm to your children.

Where a spouse or the children are exposed to physical or emotional violence, safety comes before everything else. If there is immediate danger, call 112 (emergency services). If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact 112 or the nearest emergency department without delay.

How Are Marital Problems and the Divorce Process Addressed in Therapy?

Couples therapy helps a couple move away from the question of who is right and see together how their relationship works. Sessions usually work on the following areas:

• Conflict cycles: Recognising repeating patterns in which one spouse criticises and the other withdraws, or in which both become defensive.
• Communication skills: Expressing needs without blaming, listening, and making attempts at repair.
• Boundaries with the family: The couple deciding together what place the extended family has within the marriage.
• Rebuilding the emotional bond: Rediscovering shared areas of meaning and closeness in couples who have drifted apart.

The cognitive behavioural approach (CBT) helps spouses notice their automatic thoughts about each other ("He doesn't care about me at all anyway") and see how these thoughts steer their behaviour. The schema therapy perspective, meanwhile, contributes to understanding how themes formed in childhood, such as abandonment, defectiveness or emotional deprivation, are triggered within the marriage.

If the decision to divorce has been made, therapy can focus on going through the separation in a less destructive way, explaining the situation to the children in a way that suits their age, and maintaining cooperation as parents. Therapy does not promise to save a marriage; it accompanies the couple in making their own decision more consciously and with less pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the divorce rate in Çorum lower than the Turkish average?

According to TÜİK's 2025 data, the crude divorce rate is 2.12 per thousand in Çorum and 2.26 per thousand in Turkey. The province's older population structure, the migration of some young adults, strong family networks and economic factors may play a part in this difference. There is no provincial-level study showing the definite cause.

Does a low divorce rate show that marriages are happier?

No. The divorce rate only counts marriages that end officially. Couples who live in the same home but are emotionally disconnected do not appear in this statistic. Marital satisfaction can only be understood through couples' own experiences and through research specifically on this subject.

Why can the first years of marriage be so challenging?

In the first years, the couple combine two different family cultures, learn to share responsibilities and often go through a major role change with the first child. Establishing boundaries and communication rules together during this period helps to reduce conflicts later on.

Can I seek support on my own if my spouse does not want to come to therapy?

Yes. Individual sessions can help you see your own part in the relationship, your feelings and your options more clearly. A change in one spouse sometimes contributes to a change in the cycle within the relationship as well. When appropriate, your spouse can also join the process later.

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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