Beyond record-low marriage and birth rates, increasing cases of domestic violence and greater demand for women's rights have resulted in waves of divorces reported in many provinces across China, says this lecturer.
In 2012, the divorce rate exceeded the marriage rate for the first time, and peaked at 4.71 million couples in 2019 before declining to 2.1 million by 2022. The recent decline is partly due to the delayed processing of divorce applications during the COVID-19 lockdown and the “cooling-off period” introduced by the government in 2021.
In the 1980s, divorce was allowed on the grounds of “breakdown of mutual affection” and in 2001, for domestic violence and extramarital affairs. In 2003, the government simplified the registration of divorce by eliminating the requirement for letters from the divorcees’ work units. These amendments eased the divorce process and made China one of the world’s easiest and cheapest countries to divorce. It was not until 2021 that the government introduced a 30-day ‘cooling off period’ to curb rising divorce rates. But this has come too late and may have little impact in the long run.
For them, marriage is about love and personal choice. This mentality led to the phenomenon of “naked marriages” - in which couples get married without a car, house, ring, wedding party or honeymoon - and the popularity of “flash” or “fast food” marriages among young couples, followed by “flash divorces”.
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