China's Divorce Rate Crashes 70 Percent After 'Cooling Off' Law Enforced: 3 Things To Know. Credit: imtmphoto
The number of recorded divorce cases in China plummeted more than 70 percent in the first three months of 2021 after a law went into effect on Jan. 1 forcing couples who want to end their marriage to take some time to “cool-off” before cutting ties.
Divorces dropped 72 percent to 296,000 in the first quarter compared to 1.06 million divorces in the same period last year, according to statistics released by the China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Under the “cooling-off period” Civil Code, couples filing for divorce must wait 30 days after submitting their application, during which time either party can withdraw the petition. They must then apply again after the month is up in order for the marriage to be ended.
There was a mixed reaction from couples who went through the 30-day cooling-off period, with some saying it helped save their relationship while others said they went “through hell”.
“Making it a huge hassle just to get divorced might make some people just give in and stay married — but are they really happy?” asked Yiheng Cui, 31, a Shanghainese man who split from his wife in April after four years of marriage, in an Insider report.
Ana Xu, 29, who lives in Guangzhou, told Insider that the cooling-off period “saved her marriage,” as it gave both she and her husband time to “re-evaluate” whether they wanted to be together.
The law was implemented in a bid to boost China’s flagging birth rate by discouraging impulsive divorces.
It was also meant to address a sharp spike in divorce cases reported last year as the coronavirus lockdown forced couples to stay in their homes together for weeks to prevent the virus from spreading.
The number of couples getting divorced each year in China has tripled over the last 15 years, according to a Bloomberg report in March 2020. Around 4.5 million couples split in 2018, in comparison to 1.3 million divorces in 2003.
Couples rushed to finalize their divorce last year when news of the “cooling-off” regulation surfaced, with appointments booked so far in advance that scalpers in Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen started selling appointment slots to couples.
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