Not living in a joint family is never the reason OR an excuse for a divorce. Our society really needs to get that out of its mind. In Islam the idea is to bring two families together through marriage, BUT its still about the happiness of the couple not their parents or grandparents. I find this to be a HUGE misconception in our desi society. Lets not forget ALLAH does not look good upon an unhappy marriage.
There are two reasons why divorce rates are rising, and no it has nothing to do with joint family:
- Women are able to stand up against any abuse and have the capability of being independent.
- we have become very impatient towards the actions of others.
Reason #1 sounds like a pretty good reason to go forward with a divorce, too many women and some men have been suffering from abuse from their spouses which, if you live in a joint family system, get covered up!! So yes it may lead to divorce, but I think its a good thing over all.
Aside from that, a joint family system can be a good thing as long as everyone has open communication, they are capable of using rational reasoning, and everyone has privacy.