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Jewish divorce in the UK: 60 per cent of women report negative mental health effects
First-ever comprehensive data reveals Jewish women’s struggles in the process of obtaining a get
March 7, 2025 16:52
First-ever comprehensive data reveals Jewish women’s struggles in the process of obtaining a get
March 7, 2025 16:52Recent findings have shed new light on the mental health challenges faced by women navigating the Jewish religious divorce process within the UK’s Beit Din (rabbinical court) system.
The data, which forms part of the first-ever comprehensive international survey conducted by women’s advocacy group Chochmat Nashim, revealed the profound emotional toll the process could take on women, with 60 per cent of the 112 respondents from the UK reporting negative mental health impacts.
According to the findings, 55 per cent of UK women said they had waited or had been waiting more than a year to receive their get (religious divorce), with 16 per cent waiting over three years.
This process of obtaining a get can cause severe distress, according to the questionnaire, with 35 per cent of UK respondents saying that their interactions with the Beit Din (Jewish law courts) had significantly affected their mental health, and a further 25 per cent saying that their mental health had been “somewhat” impacted.
The survey did not specify which Batei Din the women were referring to.
Twenty-six per cent said that get refusal – when the spouse withholds the religious divorce – was a factor.
Speaking to the JC, Ramie Smith from GettOutUK, which offers support to those in the process of obtaining a get, said: "Years ago, we conducted a mental health survey, and we quickly realised how deeply the issue affected our clients.”
While Smith acknowledged that while there had been improvements in recent decades, these new statistics showed that more needed to be done to address the long delays and provide relief for women who often felt trapped by a seemingly unyielding system.
Chochmat Nashim cofounder Shoshana Keats Jaskoll said: "Divorce is not the ideal. Where warranted, it is a mitzvah, and as such, should be a compassionate and supportive process."
She said that the the data reflected the urgent need for the Beit Din system to evolve, ensuring that women no longer lost years of their lives waiting for a divorce that was rightfully theirs.
Smith said: "The wait for a get is particularly complex for younger women. It's not just about the control their husbands have over their lives, but about the time they lose – time many of them hope to use building a family.
“For women who are not of childbearing age, the situation is often not seen as urgent, which is upsetting. But for women who are still of childbearing age, the delay is particularly painful. They may have a limited window to have children, making the process all the more urgent."
Smith revealed how one woman recalled that not having a get felt like "a noose around [her] neck", explaining how, once she received her get, she felt like she could breathe and sleep freely for the first time in years.
Keats Jaskoll said that Chochmat Nashim advocated for comprehensive rabbinical training, consistent evaluation, transparent oversight and the establishment of clear, flexible timelines for divorce proceedings.
By implementing these changes, she said that the Jewish community could foster a divorce process that respected women’s rights, supported their mental wellbeing and reduced the trauma that often accompanied a get.
Keats Jaskoll stressed that the goal was to work collaboratively with the Rabbanut and rabbinical courts worldwide to improve the system. “This isn’t about blame – it’s about making Jewish marriage holy and Jewish divorce dignified,” she explained.
“If we work together, we can really make a difference and bring needed holiness and kindness to such a challenging aspect of Jewish family life.”