China's civil affair department registered annual increases in
both divorces and marriages in 2007, although the number of
break-ups rose faster.
About 1.4 million couples divorced last year, a year-on-year
increase of 18.2 percent, according to a report issued by the
Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Meanwhile, 9.5 million couples married, up 11.8 percent from
2006.
The number of divorces has been rising steadily since 1980 when
the figure was 341,000.
Last year's total could exceed 1.4 million because the report
omitted court-sanctioned divorces.
Sociologists attributed the increase to the fast-changing
society and challenges to traditional concepts of marriage.
For instance, frequent migration and busier work could challenge
the stability of marriages, Xu Anqi, an expert from the Shanghai
Academy of Social Sciences, told the Beijing-based Global
Times.
A new regulation on marriage and divorce, taking effect in 2003,
simplified the divorce procedure, allowing couples to divorce in a
day at a cost of 10 yuan (US$1.36).
Previously, couples required permission from employers or
community committees to divorce, and many stayed together to avoid
public embarrassment.
More Chinese women were financially and mentally independent and
determined to be single, said Chen Xinxin, an expert with the
Women's Studies Institute of China.
The increase in break-ups did not mean that Chinese were losing
faith in marriage, Xu said. "They are looking for marriages of
higher quality."
She said: "People's expectations are higher. The things couples
compromised on 10 years ago aren't tolerated today."
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)