CAIRO: While Egypt's divorce rate climbed up to 40 percent, divorce cases cost the State Treasury LE 7.75 billion annually, according to the latest study by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). When a divorce case is taken to court, it typically costs the state anywhere between LE 41,000 and LE 195. These costs include litigation expenses, in addition to the salaries paid to judges, prosecutors, counselors, and those working at general prosecution offices — such as secretaries. The expenses also cover the payments distributed to the security guards needed during hearings, as well as the payments given to various other civil employees to execute the court orders — such as alimony and other financial distribution workers — according to news portal Egynews.net. As the divorce rate increases, people are working towards removing the stigma associated with divorce in the conservative Egyptian society. Mahasen Saber, a divorcee, started “Divorce Radio,” an online radio station that aims to create a supportive community for divorced women while simultaneously striving to eliminate the associated social stigma. “Here in Egyptian society, the woman is [always] looked upon as if she is the one who made a big mistake [by] getting a divorce from her husband,” Saber said when she launched the radio station. “She's always at fault. I want Arab society to respect women who are divorced.” The social stigma also includes unmarried women, in a society that views the single status of women as a problem, especially over 30. According to the CAPMAS study, there are currently 156,000 single women in the age bracket of 30–35, and 78,000 single females aged 35–40. Only 8.2 percent of Egyptian females over the age of 30 are single, according to the CAPMAS study.
