Since the early 2010s, ‘ divorce ceremonies’ have emerged as ‘an elegant approach’ to end love and commemorate marriage. Emotional needs have been accompanied by an increase in cohabitation, premarital sex, prostitution and marital infidelity, leading to broken relationships and divorce.ĭivorce is now celebrated by post-1980s generations. Since the government lifted the lockdown, ‘waves’ of divorces have been reported in many provinces, marked by long lines of couples waiting to divorce at local civil affairs offices.Ĭhina’s fast-growing economy has opened a ‘Pandora’s box’ of reasons for divorce - economic prosperity, personal freedom, increasing mobility and a growing pursuit of wealth as well as materialism. The rising cost of living combined with unemployment and lockdowns during COVID-19 led to economic and mental stresses in families and triggered increasing cases of domestic violence and underlying conflicts that have significant implications for divorce. Such ‘meddling’ easily leads to marital conflicts among their adult children and divorce. This has legitimised their role in managing their children’s private lives, from arranging blind dates to supervising their married lives. Parents have invested heavily in their one child, including education fees, wedding expenses and post-marital residence. Many rely on their parents financially and emotionally. Post-1980s generations have been faced with rising living costs, unaffordable housing prices and an increasingly ‘involuted’ ( neijuan) lifestyle. Women with children also often face financial difficulties and challenges in remarrying after divorce. But those with limited economic and cultural capital - especially women - can be disadvantaged in accessing and exercising their right to divorce. Men divorce when their expectations of gender roles in marriage do not match those of their wives. Women have become increasingly intolerant of unsatisfactory marriages and resort to divorce to protect their rights. Modern feminism in China defends and demands women’s rights and interests, from fighting sexism and male chauvinism to advocating for women’s equal surnaming rights with their husbands. This is reinforced by a softened masculinity popularised among Chinese young men by the ‘Korean wave’ in recent decades, fuelling fear of a ‘masculinity crisis’ and a continuing trend toward ‘stronger women and feebler men’ ( yinsheng yangshuai). A growing number of women have become ‘breadwinners’ for their families. Rising educational attainments and economic statuses, especially of women, have altered the conventional pattern of patriarchal marriages. Post-1980s generations have also been subject to unprecedented life changes, care and investment from their families and the state. 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’. For them, marriage is about love and personal choice. Unlike their parents, who grew up under Maoist ideology, the one-child generation has been heavily influenced by Western notions of romance, freedom in love and personal rights. But this has come too late and may have little impact in the long run.Ĭhina encouraged family planning in the early stages of its economic reform period - most families were restricted to one child between 1979–2015. It was not until 2021 that the government introduced a 30-day ‘cooling off period’ to curb rising divorce rates. These amendments eased the divorce process and made China one of the world’s easiest and cheapest countries to divorce. In 2003, the government simplified the registration of divorce by eliminating the requirement for letters from the divorcees’ work units. In 1980, divorce was allowed on the grounds of ‘breakdown of mutual affection’ and in 2001, for domestic violence and extramarital affairs. The Marriage Law turned into a ‘divorce law’ as many women used it to free themselves from arranged marriages. In 1950, the Communist Party introduced a Marriage Law that abolished feudal marriage practices and introduced a new marriage system based on monogamy, gender equality and free marriage and divorce. But the process remained highly stigmatised and filing for divorce was a major challenge for women. At the beginning of the 20th century, influenced by Western ideas of freedom of marriage and divorce as well as gender equality, the Nationalist government liberalised divorce by allowing it when there was mutual consent between spouses or women sued. In imperial China, divorce was a ‘male prerogative’ and women had limited rights to divorce.
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