Divorce and the market economy

The urban world continues to mull over the impact of divorce on society, on the family, on the partners directly involved in the divorce, and specially, on children. What escapes most is the fact that the splintering of families underscores a rise in production levels in the economy. The extended family comprising of the male 'head of a family' with his wife, children, their families and grandchildren living under the same roof, eating out of the same kitchen and pooling in their labour and income resources to cover expenses is slowly on its way out in urban India. Exceptions are traditional business families where living under the same roof is directly linked to business interests and any split within is presumed to inevitably lead to a split in business interests to the detriment of all concerned. In this sphere too, however, the positive effect of such split on market forces has remained a grey area. When the joint family breaks up to create several nuclear families, the first outcome is a rise in the demand for housing. The entire housing sector – real estate, promoters of real estate, construction and recovery of unused land, expands in monetary and business terms. Traditional homes covering spacious footage of premium land fall under the promoter's axe and new skyscrapers take their place, mercilessly destroying a once-beautiful and expansive skyline.

The environmental waste is taken for granted – lesser greenery in the cityscape, lesser land for children's parks and playgrounds, narrower pavements and more human waste to litter the streets. But a capitalist economy thrives on such ecological waste instead of lamenting it. Just so long as there is 'development' at the cost of ecology.