Thursday, June 6, 2002

A story released today by the China Daily reports that as young Chinese care more about the quality of their marriage than public opinion, more and more couples would prefer divorce to an unhappy marriage.

The reasons to file for divorce are diversifying and more women are choosing divorce in order to start a new love, according to marriage registration records and investigations on divorce conducted by Shenyang's Civil Affairs Bureau in Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

In recent years, statistics indicate that about 35 percent of the divorce cases in China were due to the divorcees' dissatisfaction with their sexual life, which are regarded as a crucial part of marriage.

Also, with the steady rise of women's incomes, social status and education levels, more women brave filing for divorce when faced with domestic violence at the hands of their husbands.

In addition, the percentage of divorces caused by economic and child-rearing disputes rose sharply to 19 percent from 5 per cent five years ago.

Statistics indicate that China's divorce rate has soared since the 1990s and the number of divorces almost quadrupled from 319,000 in 1979 to 1.21 million in 2000.

Once considered unimaginable and shameful, divorce has risen sharply because it is easier for many young Chinese couples to get.

Divorce in China can be obtained in two ways: Couples who have reached a consensus can register at local civil affairs departments. Otherwise, they have to file for divorce at civil courts.