"Marriage Made Easy, Divorce Made Difficult"... China Changes Laws Amid Low Birthrate

Encouraging Marriage Amid Two Consecutive Years of Population Decline
Local Netizens Mostly Respond Negatively

The Chinese government is pushing for a legal amendment to make marriage registration easier and divorce more difficult.

According to local media such as China News Service on the 15th, the Chinese government recently announced a draft amendment to the "Marriage Registration Regulations" on its official website and is seeking public opinions until the 11th of next month.

A couple from Shanghai, China, taking wedding photos.
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The difference from the current regulations is that the obligation to submit the hukou book (family relationship certificate) when registering marriage or divorce has been removed. Additionally, a 30-day reflection period is to be imposed for divorces.

If, within 30 days of receiving a divorce registration application, either party does not wish to proceed with the divorce, the marriage registration authority may withdraw the application and terminate the divorce registration process.

Professor Zhang Quanbao of the Population and Development Research Institute at Xi'an Jiaotong University explained to the state-run Global Times regarding this legal amendment, "It is intended to emphasize the importance of marriage and family and to reduce impulsive divorces."

The legal amendment was promoted amid the Chinese government's efforts to encourage marriage and childbirth among young people, following two consecutive years of population decline.

Last year, China's population decreased by 2.08 million. In the first half of this year, the number of marriage registrations in China was 3.43 million, marking the lowest level since 2013. Compared to the first half of 2014 (6.94 million), the figure has halved over the past decade.

However, after the news became known, Chinese netizens reportedly poured out criticism and ridicule. Major foreign media reported that one netizen posted on Weibo, "It's easy to get married but hard to get divorced. Such a foolish law," which received tens of thousands of 'likes.'

In China, due to several years of economic slowdown, concerns about job stability and the future have led an increasing number of young people to choose to remain single or delay marriage.