ABSTRACT
The causes of divorce on the husband's initiative, some traditional and some modern, are rooted in socio-economic, legal and political circumstances. The chief reason for the payment of compensation to the divorced woman was undoubtedly the Knesset's ban on divorce against the wife's will, which is coupled with a penal sanction. An unproved charge of adultery against the wife is liable to be a ground for judicial dissolution on her initiative. Ground for the application of the wife of an absent husband for dissolution is connected with the protection of the reputation and chastity of women in traditional society. Maintenance for three months, which is generally the waiting-period of a non-pregnant woman, does not ensure a decent living to a divorced wife who wishes to be independent or who has no relatives required or able to provide for her.
