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'Rein in your heart': I.Coast women trapped by divorce taboo

In 2024, Ivory Coast recorded only 1,835 divorce petitions for 30,912 marriages, reflecting a low formal divorce rate as many women remain married due to social pressures.
Amid strong social norms, family and church leaders discourage divorce and counsel endurance, while civil society groups prioritize reconciliation and view marriage as a woman’s pinnacle of success.
Court testimonies show proceedings are exhausting, as a cashier who faced trial alone recalled repeated trips and intrusive questioning, while Nina, 40, said she can't afford separation after her husband left five years ago with most children.
Women often share housing with estranged partners despite severe tensions, as Josy, a healthcare professional earning 500,000 CFA francs a month, continues cohabiting amid debts and infidelity.
Yacine, 42, shows some women regain wellbeing after divorce, though Anne Bera-Dasse, lawyer specialising in family law, says women resort to divorce only in extreme situations.

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