China is making changes to its marriage and divorce laws, aiming to boost low birth rates and create a “family-friendly society” by simplifying marriage registration yet introducing a 30-day cooling-off period for divorces, sparking fierce criticism online, NBC reports.
A revised draft law released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs eliminates the requirement for couples to register at their household location, making it easier to get married. Besides, it optimizes the registration process, aiming to encourage couples to tie the knot. However, the 30-day cooling-off period for divorces, intended to discourage hasty separations, has faced significant backlash on social media.
“When they want you to do something, they’ll simplify the process, but when they don’t, there will be endless procedures and queues,” one Weibo user commented. Another wrote, “If education issues can’t be properly addressed, how can we solve marriage issues? The biggest family expenses are education and healthcare.”
These changes are part of the Chinese government’s broader strategy to combat a looming demographic crisis and shrinking population. Beijing sees marriage as a key component of its family-planning policies, with marriage certificates necessary for child registration and receiving state benefits. However, the recent decline in marriage rates, with the first half of 2023 seeing the lowest number of marriages since 2013, raises concerns about the effectiveness of these policies.
The decline in marriage rates is attributed to economic uncertainties and a lack of job security for young people, despite government efforts to incentivize marriage and fertility through financial subsidies and policy changes.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs is seeking public feedback on the draft law until September 11. Earlier this year, the government launched its first four-year university degree program in matrimony, offering courses on wedding planning, matchmaking, and marriage counseling.
The government’s new approach to marriage and family has sparked a debate, with critics arguing that focusing solely on marriage without addressing economic and social anxieties will have limited success in reversing the demographic trends.
