Controversial law reduces divorce rate by 70 percent in China

The number of divorces in China decreased by more than 70 percent in the first quarter of this year, after the entry into force of a controversial law, imposing a "cooling off period" between spouses before separation.

The British newspaper, The Guardian, stated that the latest data issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that 296,000 divorces were registered during the first three months of 2021, down from 1.05 million in the previous quarter, and 1.06 million in the same period last year.

The divorce rate in China has risen steadily in recent years, and the marriage rate has decreased, which has been linked to a decline in the birth rate.

In an attempt to deal with the divorce crisis, the Chinese government issued a new law in January requiring Chinese spouses seeking divorce to complete a month-long "cooling off" period before starting to process their application.

If the spouses do not show up between 30 and 60 days after submitting the application, their application is automatically canceled. The cooling off period is not supposed to apply to divorce cases involving domestic violence.

This law sparked intense controversy and anger over the state’s interference in private relations, amidst some young people’s statement that they are now more inclined to avoid marriage altogether.

Moreover, the new data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs also sparked criticism, as a number of people questioned online whether the divorce rates had decreased, because people had changed their minds, or because the process had now become very difficult, citing reported difficulties in booking my appointment. Divorce required to attend after the end of the cooling off period