Marriages Down, Divorces UpLatest statistics show that last year saw a decreased number of over 8.48 million newlyweds, and over 1.21 million couples divorced, showing a slight increase when compared with the year before.Sources from the Ministry of Civil Affairs told that for an effective curb on the swelling population marriage and childbearing at a mature age has been generally accepted by most Chinese and the policy of family planning has obviously done its work. Since the 1990s, China has seen a decreased number of people at an age to get married or to register for marriage. In 1990, 9.51 million couples registered for marriage, 9.34 million in 1995, and 8.85 million in 1999. Meanwhile, an increased number of couples got divorced and as a result of social advance a change has been made in people's concept on marriage. In 1990, 0.8 million couples were divorced, 1.05 million in 1995, and 12 million in 1999. An authoritative view from the Ministry of Civil Affairs is that marriages and divorces in China represent a profound change taken place in Chinese families and that more people have come to lean on a comparatively modern open concept on marriage and family life in China. By PD Online Staff Deng Gang |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |