Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees Section 3. Marriage and Family The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 1

Outline Introduction Historical equivalent of divorce A skyrocketing divorce rate Post-divorce life: Flying solo Road ahead The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 2

Introduction The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 3 A major societal transformation:

Historical equivalent of divorce Historically in China, females almost never initiated divorce. (The letter of divorce imposed only by husbands wasn’t abolished until 1930.) However, husbands were required to follow traditional rules of “seven cans” and “three cant's.” The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 4

A skyrocketing divorce rate According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, except for a brief reduction of 8.16% in 2002, a continuous upward trend has been observed in the Chinese divorce rate from 2000 to 2011, with an average annual growth of 7.5% : The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 5

A skyrocketing divorce rate Several factors have contributed to this steady increase in the divorce rate: – attitudes towards marriage have changed: “Till death do we part”? ; – more women are willing to get divorced now, even though it is difficult (they have their own borderlines: affairs and domestic violence), e.g., 70% of divorce cases initiated by women The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 6 – legal changes have made it easier to get divorced (simplified divorce procedures, private affairs, no need of an introduction letter, since 2003).

Post-divorce life: Flying solo The woman is typically the one whose life is altered completely after a marriage ends: – Child raising on their own – They are subjected to all kinds of social pressure and discrimination – Few get remarried, extremely unlikely to marry again even for the successful career women – Furthermore, most single moms face financial hardship. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 7

Road ahead The divorce rate in China will level off in the foreseeable future How the society will treat divorced women in the future? As it cannot be legislated, we are not optimistic that rapid changes are on the horizon. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 18. Divorce and Divorcees 8