Banjarnegara, Central Java – Poverty has been blamed as the main cause of the rising divorce rate in Banjarnegara, Central Java, where most divorces are sought by women.

At least 1,460 out of 1,839 divorce petitions at the Banjarnegara Religious Affairs Court in 2007 were motivated by economic issues, according to data.

"Plaintiffs, most of whom were women, stated that their husbands were no longer able to function as the breadwinners of their families. That's why they wanted to divorce their husbands," said the court's head, Munasib Zainuri.

He said other factors driving the divorce rate included low education levels and domestic violence. Munasib said 90 percent of those involved in divorce petitions were farmers.