SocietyDIVORCED and theworld keeps turningWomen in ourworld have toface differentchallengesthroughouttheir lives. Theyexperiencemoments ofeuphoria andothers of sadness.They learn aboutlife and from allsides.Since it is often said that women areborn to get married, many women feeltheir life has ended when the husbandpronounces the word “divorce”.Therefore, many girls nowadays dream ofgetting higher degrees and of showingtheir skills and their capacity to go forwardin their communities because they haveseen how society treats a divorced woman.That’s why they are doing everything tonot become dependent on men in caselife turns sour. Nevertheless, some womencannot bear to be divorced and cannot notcontinue their life because they lack thatwill and determination to carry on towardssuccess. However, there are still somewho have shown their strength and theirpower to be successful in their daily life. InAlgeria, for instance, the word ‘divorced’no longer holds the same weight as it didin the past - although many still considera divorced woman to be less of a woman,and therefore many stay in a miserablemarriage for the sake of economic and socialsecurity. For many Algerian women, it isimportant to know the value of a peacefullife if suffering, instability and violencebecome part and parcel of their life. In thiscase divorce is the only option and a realopportunity for them to get their lives back.As shocking as the idea of divorce sounds, itis not necessarily going to pan out harmfully.In fact, there are a lot of divorce successstories in our society. We do not know what
the exact ratio is with divorce successstories versus non-success ones.However, it is essential to say that thereis always light at the end of the tunnel.The Beginningwas Difficult, but…Saida D., 30 years old, with tearsfilling her eyes, told us how it wasdifficult for her at the beginning tohear others criticizing her because shewas divorced. Nevertheless, becauseshe felt that it was not the end of theworld, she decided to get her Bac(Baccalaureate), which she succeededin doing. After four years’ study atuniversity, she got her bachelordegree in Arabic language andliterature. Fortunately, she found a jobas a teacher at a secondary school sothat she could earn a living to providefor her young children’s needs,since their father appeared to haveforgotten about them. She neededto live instead of just passing time.Saida is proud of herself today; herkids and her work mean a lot to her.Life is a Battle!Roukiya B., 40 years old, is anotherexample of patience and success. Lifeto her is one long battle she has towin. Roukiya left school at an early agebecause of hard circumstances. At theage of 18, she got married; however,she did not know at that time that thiswas when her real suffering wouldbegin. Though she was tasting thebitterness of life each day, Roukiya was afraidof getting divorced because she believedthat she had to make a sacrifice for the sakeof her four children who would be a burdenon her and her family if she thought of askingfor her freedom from the frightening worldshe found herself in. Nonetheless, she couldnot continue thinking like that. With the helpof her neighbors, she succeeded in askingfor a divorce and putting an end to hertragic story with her uncaring husband. Inthe beginning it was so difficult for Roukiyawho decided to learn a handicraft so thatshe could protect her kids and to give thema chance to continue their studies. Weavingis the craft she feels at home with, and it hasgiven her the opportunity to change herbitter life into a colorful one. Her childrenare growing up in front of her eyes. Roukiyafeels that she really is a super woman. Thelove of her kids and her job keep her going.Change is Needed!Mounira M., 43 years old, told us that shehad not been happy for years. Arrangedmarriages are quite normal in her smallvillage, but her experience was so traumaticthat she could not bring herself to talk to usabout it. However, she did tell us that she isnow in a great place having picked herselfup and put away all her sad memories. Afterthe divorce, Mounira bought a small houseand started her own business selling secondhand furniture. She also built a nice familyand could finally enjoy her time with hertwo sons. Now, she is completely convincedthat everything happens for a reason.Life is full of many role models like Saida,Roukiya and Mounira who have facedhardships. Though they have differentcareers, characters and lifestyles, onething brings these women together: theywant a better future for their counterparts.They want to see real changes in women’sconditions in Algeria. They know thatAlgerian women are empowered and able tomake a significant change by themselves inthe future since their worries and dreams arethe same. We are not encouraging divorce.We are aware that one of the problems ofour age is that divorce and the institutionof marriage as such is often taken much toolightly -which in itself is the source of manyof the conflicts that necessitate divorce- andwe believe that parents should do their bestto keep their family together, but if stayingtogether is turning the family’s life into hell,women should not be ashamed to carry onon their own just like men do without beingafraid of people’s judgments once they realizethat that is best for them and their children.Razika Benzoukh
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