The women’s helpline in the city has been getting frequent calls from many married for only six months or a year but desperate for divorce.

“Marriage is a respectable institution but I don’t think people believe that these days. We have been getting eight to nine calls every month from women who desperately want a divorce,” said Sadhna Singh, a counsellor at the women’s helpline.

She added: “In most of the cases, the women have been married for only six months.”

The helpline runs under the women’s development corporation of the social welfare department.

Singh said the trend is new. “Two years ago, we used to get barely a call or two every month,” she said. “The number seems to have gone up recently.”

Describing the trend, Singh said: “One of the primary reasons for the hapless marriages is trust deficit. The husband and the wife often complain that they were provided with wrong information about their spouses before marriage. This sours their relationship.”

Singh recalled dealing with a case in which the wife was told before the marriage that her husband was an employee of a reputed company with a monthly salary of around Rs 50,000. After the marriage, the woman learned that her husband earns only about Rs 10,000. It became a matter of dispute between them.

Sajal, another counsellor, said: “These days, couples often meet on the Internet. So, they don’t get to know each other well enough before getting married.”

Hetukar Jha, retired sociology teacher of Patna University, said: “Egotism and immaturity lead to differences between young couples. Issues aggravate and couples call for a divorce.”

He added: “Counselling can be remedy for break-up of marriages.”

Dr Binda Singh, a clinical psychologist, said: “New couples have high expectations from each other. When these are not fulfilled, they are filled with anger and frustration leading to the souring of relationships.”