It seems that relatively high rates of divorce are not just confined to the shores of the United States.
According to a recent report from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, the nation’s divorce rate increased dramatically during the first quarter of 2011, rising 17 percent from the same time last year. Specifically, the Ministry determined that there were 465,357 divorces in China from January through March 2011.
The areas of the country with the highest rates of divorce were the Sichuan Province with approximately 38,228 divorces and the Shandong Province with approximately 29,367 divorces.
What’s behind this high divorce rate in China’s southwest region?
According to government officials, the answer lies in the migration of workers from these two regions.
“Sichuan has always been a province where migrant workers spread out to other places in China, and Shandong exports huge numbers of workers to places like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong,” said Shu Xin, the director of the China Marriage and Family Consulting Research Center. “Thus, the couples have to face the pressure of separation and their feelings are often neglected, leading to a growing number of people having affairs.”
Interestingly, China’s more populous areas saw relatively modest increases in their divorce rates. Specifically, the Ministry found the following figures regarding the first quarter of 2011:
- The divorce rate in Guangdong increased by 15.4 percent in the first quarter of 2011, as compared with the first quarter of 2010
- The divorce rate in Shanghai increased by 8.5 percent in the first quarter of 2011, as compared with the first quarter of 2010
- The divorce rate in Beijing increased by 8.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011, as compared with the first quarter of 2010
Shu attributed the increase in divorce in this region primarily to sustained economic growth.
Stay tuned for more from our Ft. Worth family law blog …
To learn more about dissolution of marriage or life after divorce, contact an experienced legal or financial professional.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.
Related Resources:
Southwest is now divorce capital of China (Global Times)
