divorce

Until recent decades, divorce has been a taboo in Chinese society. For women especially, marriage is expected to be for life, as described in the old saying ‘If a woman marries a chicken, she should stick with the chicken; if she marries a dog, she should stick with the dog’ (jiaji suiji jiagou suigou). Thus, divorce has been viewed as a shameful event. Efforts have been made by the PRC to make divorces more accessible. The 1950 Marriage Law aimed to end ‘feudal marriages’ such as concubinages and was immediately followed by increased number of divorces. Similarly, the 1981 Marriage Law, which made marriage dissolution easier, was followed by a rise in the divorce rate.

Divorces are granted by marriage registrars if both spouses have agreed to marriage dissolution, or through mediation or ruling by the court if one of the spouses files for divorce.

The number of couples seeking divorce has quadrupled from the late 1970s to the early twenty-first century. The official divorce rate in 2001 is 2 per 1,000 marriages and is still low by Western standards. However, the urban divorce rate is significantly higher and is estimated by some to be approaching 25 per cent. The rapid rise in the divorce rate is attributable to economic liberalization and a greater sense of individuality, and is greeted by some as a sign of progress as women have greater autonomy to break free from unhappy marriages. However, it also reflects a rise in infidelity and has alarmed those concerned with importation of Western values. Public opinion has changed slowly and greater stigma continues to be attached to divorced women than to divorced men, as evidenced by more men than women remarrying after divorce.

C.CINDY FAN