Podgorica's registrars had signed 739 marriages by mid-October, while Basic Court judges had stamped 219 divorces, with around 130 cases remaining unresolved, according to responses provided to "Vijesti" by local authorities and institutions.
According to this data, about 30 percent of marriages are divorced, and even more drastic figures were recorded last year in the capital, when almost half were legally dissolved - 750 marriages were entered into, and 360 were divorced.
This data, warns a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Montenegro (UCG) Rade Sarovic, are a consequence of "a modern worldview that has brought about a change in the social meaning of marriage, according to which the marital bond between two people is no longer the basic social institution of reproduction and economic union, but an emotional and symbolic project of self-realization."
He also emphasizes that it is necessary to highlight the relationship of complete distrust towards the unstable labor market, which, he claims, creates "constant stress and insecurity" for spouses.
This, warns Professor Šarović, "especially applies to the poorer strata of society, where life insecurity is greatest, and the divorce rate is rising due to the structural crisis of economic survival."
As reasons for the relatively high number of divorces, Šarović also cites digitalization and modern media, which "change the way society experiences marriage, closeness, communication, but also fidelity", as well as the fact that society no longer "provides even a minimum of collective support for maintaining marriage".
According to data from the Statistical Office (Monstat), 2.852 marriages were concluded in Montenegro last year, and 853 were legally terminated.
MARRIAGE AS AN ADDITIONAL ECONOMIC RISK
The Secretariat for Local Self-Government and Cooperation with Civil Society of the Capital City said that out of 739 marriages concluded in Podgorica, 602 were between Montenegrin citizens. They pointed out that a total of 116 marriages were concluded between foreign and Montenegrin citizens. By mid-October, there were 21 marriages between foreigners.
From the Secretariat managed by Slađana Anđušić "Vijesti" was told that Montenegrin citizens entered into 604 marriages last year. They said that 121 marriages were concluded between Montenegrin citizens and foreigners during the same period. Last year, 25 marriages were concluded in which the partners were foreign citizens.
When it comes to divorces, the Podgorica Basic Court said that last year they had 556 cases in their work, of which 360 were resolved.
"There are 196 unresolved cases. For this year, ending on October 20, there were a total of 357 cases, of which 219 were resolved and 138 were unresolved. This court does not have data or keep special records on the length of marriage before divorce," the institution, which is headed by Željka Jovović.
Šarović explains to "Vijesti" that, when talking about frequent divorces, it is important to consider "the changing social context of Montenegrin society."
"And to single out the previous reasons that led, and still lead, to divorce - health reasons, partner incompatibility, individualization, emancipation of women, changes in value systems, sexual and natal decomposition of marriage and the like. After that, from a sociological point of view, it is necessary to identify new social phenomena that today condition the increase in divorce in our country. One of them is the extremely rapid structural transformation of the economic basis of the Montenegrin family, which is today characterized by economic inequality and independence of household members. The moment when marriage ceased to provide material security to spouses and became an additional source of economic risk, its stability also declined," said Šarović.
2.852 marriages were concluded last year, and 853 divorces were finalized, according to Monstat data.
In addition to this economic reason, Šarović also points out that "there have been changes in the balance of power between partners in the family, where, instead of the previously mentioned emancipation of women, the reason appears to be a comprehensive transformation of the gender regime of male power in the family.
"Therefore, women have long since stopped accepting traditional forms of subordination, and men, in the new balance of power, have failed to build a clearly defined new position in the family structure. The normative void that arises in this context introduces partners into conflicts over roles, expectations and identities, which can be interpreted as a total crisis of the patriarchal contract and the erosion of authority in traditional Montenegro," explained Šarović.
DIVORCE IS ALSO A TRAGEDY FOR SOCIETY
According to the UCG professor, the digital age and modern media are changing the way society perceives marriage, intimacy, communication, and fidelity. He points out that in today's media space, there is constant exposure to "alternative partners and idealized images of love, which create unrealistic expectations in spouses."
"Therefore, living in the era of artificial intelligence and the new internet culture (dating apps, social networks, sites selling intimacy) leads to constant comparison with other people, which definitely destroys the feeling of satisfaction and durability of relationships between partners."
Responding to the question of whether society takes the institution of marriage lightly or as a thing of the past, Šarović emphasizes that the wider society no longer "provides even a minimum of collective support for the preservation of marriage."
"Well, marriage becomes a private matter between two spouses. The aforementioned privatization, in most cases, makes marriage vulnerable, because there are no longer social mechanisms that would cushion the conflicts and constant crises of living together that partners go through. This especially applies to large urban areas where the divorce rate is highest and where individual rhythms of life dominate, as well as the complete isolation of individuals and families. Sociologically, this means that the loss of wider family and friendship ties increases the pressure on marriage, which further destabilizes it," said Šarović.
He emphasizes that divorce is "not only a personal tragedy for the partners and their children", but also "a very dangerous situation for Montenegrin society".
"Marriage loses its function as a stabilizer of social order and becomes a marginal, social construct that is subject to change as soon as the personal expectations of partners cease to be aligned. In this way, demographic erosion of society occurs, value norms and rules of conduct change, and it gives the wrong pattern of behavior to the younger generations, who, with frustrations after their parents' divorce, usually follow their example in life," said Šarović.
Life in the era of artificial intelligence and the new internet culture (dating apps, social networks, sites selling intimacy) leads to constant comparison with other people, which definitely destroys the feeling of satisfaction and durability of relationships between partners, said Professor Šarović.
Councilors testify for 37,50 to 75 euros
According to the data from the Secretariat for Local Self-Government and Cooperation with Civil Society, the councilors who attended weddings in the Assembly building are: Ksenija Aranitović, Vladan Arsović, Nermin Abdić, Milivoje Brković, Dragutin Vučinić, Mitar Vuković, Adi Jakupović, Milena Jovović, Miloš Krstović, Mirza Krnić, Pavle Ljumović, Ljiljana Maraš, Ivana Mašković, Miloš Mašković, Anđela Mićović, Ranko Milić, Jelena Milošević, Žaklina Oštir, Mitar Paunović, Mirjana Radulović, Boban Radević, Filip Terzić, Tamara Crnogorčić, Stefan Šaponjić, Maša Šturanović, Mitar Šušić and Drago Šundić.
"The amount of compensation for attending weddings in Sala during weekdays is 25 euros. During weekends in Sala it is 37,50 euros. Attending weddings in restaurants during weekdays is 50 euros, and on weekends it is 75 euros. For attending weddings on national and religious holidays, the compensation is increased by 100 percent," they told "Vijesti", adding that the amount of compensation "does not depend on the number of weddings performed."
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