Summary
China’s marriage rate hit a record low in 2024, with only 6.1 million marriages, a 20% drop from 2023 and the lowest since records began in 1986.
Rising costs, youth unemployment, changing gender roles, and a growing preference for single life contribute to the trend. Government incentives to boost marriage and birth rates have largely failed.
Social attitudes are shifting, with less family pressure to marry, skepticism over restrictive divorce laws, and calls for same-sex marriage recognition.
Experts warn this decline could accelerate China’s demographic and economic challenges.
I had missed the introduction of this in 2021.
“The law requires couples who are mutually seeking a divorce to wait for 30 days before formalising it. If the couples don’t show up for two appointments between 30 and 60 days after applying, their application is automatically cancelled.”
“In February Chinese media reported fully booked appointment slots in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other cities, with some being sold by scalpers.”
source
That would certainly be a disincentive to get married if you could not get out of it if you needed to.
They reward increasing the number of people who are formally married, rather than the number of stable couples.
Such a wonderful example of misaligned incentives, only a politician could come up with it.
In the great state of Wisconsin, there is a 120 day waiting period after filing and paying the Clerk of the Circuit Court. After the 120 days then you can obtain a date for a final court hearing before it becomes legally accepted
So it could be much worse. It could be Wisconsin
1 year here in Germany lol
Does Wisconsin require showing up for two or more “appointments” during those 120 days?
Yea from what I can tell, it’s the same but worse
First before you even have the wait period you must go to court in order to file for the waiting period to begin. Additionally you have to pay a fee to even begin the wait process
After the 120 days is up, you have a period of time to gather docs and obtain a court date for the final hearing. Failing to prepare during this period or engage the court for the final hearing will likely restart the entire process including waiting another 120 days and having to file and pay the fee with the Circuit Court
I honestly can’t tell from the article what “appointment” means but it sure seems synonymous with us having to go to court multiple times to initiate the process and conclude it
If I replace court appearances with appointment to align with the article. Then in WI you have a bare minimum of two appointments. If you have kids or need petitions for support to go through with the motion. You can have up to four appointments. Not acknowledging you may be forced to complete parenting courses before the final hearing is allowed to occur
It’s wrong, but I don’t see it as a big deal either. If someone is escaping an abusive marriage, and can escape, being legally married carries no weight. And that’s the worst case scenario.
Ex and I split amicably (mostly), went our separate ways. We were married for a couple of years afterwards because we were too lazy to pull the trigger.
Are there situations where waiting 4-months hurts someone?
Other than the fact that an abuser can just hold all your property hostage for 4 months and leave you with either A) no legal claim to your belongings or B) no choice but to return to your abuser?
Why should be not be as easy to exit a contract as it is to enter one?
How does being married or not change that? Say I beat my wife and she runs away. She can get a police escort to get some of her things. I’ve been on the escorted end of that scenario. (Obviously they won’t wait for a moving service.)
So you’re saying the law considers everything in a home the property of the person remaining, if they’re married? You should meet some people going through a divorce. It ain’t like that.
Of course it should be easy to divorce. My first two words: “It’s wrong…”
Being legally married carries weight.
I have no idea how you think it doesn’t.
Your amblicable split is not an example of how the process of a divorce with an abusive partner. It’s the furtherest it can get.
Absolutely dumbfounded here.
If this wasn’t trolling or sarcasm, you are not a clearly not wise person. I’m sorry if I’m the first to let you know.
Your post would be more valuable if you did not directly insult them at the end. Im not sure why you made that choice.
All that and you can’t provide a single example of consequences? That’s literally all I asked for.
The point of my anecdote was that nothing changed in our lives despite remaining married.
Any system is bad when scalping becomes a thing.