Divorced women market in Mauritania

Mauritania, located in the Sahara and Northwest Africa, has a unique cultural phenomenon in which divorce is not only prevalent but highly celebrated, particularly among women.

The divorced women’s market is a practice in which divorced women come together to dispose of their household items and celebrate their newfound independence.

In 2018, the Mauritanian government reported that about one-third of all marriages ended in divorce, with 60% requiring a five-year or longer separation.

According to research, 74% of women remarried after divorce, with 25% remarrying twice or less and 7% marrying three or more times.

In many countries, divorce is often shamed and stigmatised as if to say you’ve failed, but not in Mauritania.

In Mauritania, divorced women are desired because men think they are mature and can comprehend life’s problems.

They also regard unmarried women as egotistical and overvalue their worth, resulting in unrealistic conditions and large dowries for the woman or her family.

Divorce in Mauritania has led to women marrying many times in their lives. Khul is a provision in Islamic law that permits a divorced wife to compensate her husband by returning her bride price.

However, poor divorced men struggle to remarry. Interestingly, Mauritanian women prefer unmarried men and not divorced men, believing that his numerous failed marriages means he cannot accept responsibility, be patient, or fight for her.