• Latest
  • All
China Institutes “Cooling Off” Period for Divorces

China Institutes “Cooling Off” Period for Divorces

June 5, 2021
Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

May 27, 2025
IOF’s joint statement for the 2022 Commission on the Status of Women

Protect and Promote Your National Treasure! IOF’s joint statement for the 2025 International Day of Families

May 15, 2025
Former Louisville University professor wins $1.6 million over dismissal for criticism of transgender treatments for children

Former Louisville University professor wins $1.6 million over dismissal for criticism of transgender treatments for children

April 26, 2025
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Alfredo Borba

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88

April 21, 2025
Author: Tom Morris

U.K. Supreme Court defines woman based on biological sex

April 16, 2025
New Colorado bill punishes moms and dads for rejecting trans ideology

New Colorado bill punishes moms and dads for rejecting trans ideology

April 5, 2025
Female fencer Stephanie Turner faces penalties for refusal to compete against transgender opponent

Female fencer Stephanie Turner faces penalties for refusal to compete against transgender opponent

April 3, 2025
Georgia Governor to sign Riley Gaines Act of 2025, safeguarding women’s sports from transgender ideology

Georgia Governor to sign Riley Gaines Act of 2025, safeguarding women’s sports from transgender ideology

April 2, 2025
Humanity’s indispensable but unsung heroes

Humanity’s indispensable but unsung heroes

March 18, 2025
AfD politician slams leftist abortion agenda in staunchly pro-life speech

AfD politician slams leftist abortion agenda in staunchly pro-life speech

March 12, 2025
  • About iFamNews
  • Contact

Navigation Button Subscribe

  • Subscribe
June 4, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • English
    • Italiano
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • Polski
    • српски
    • Русский
    • Hrvatski

Navigation Button Donate

  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
International Family News Network (IFN)
No Result
View All Result

China Institutes “Cooling Off” Period for Divorces

There is a reported 72% drop in divorces in China from last fall. Whether the pandemic might have something to do with it is just one of the many questions surrounding the phenomenon.

Nicole King by Nicole King
June 5, 2021
in Breaking News, Family, Foreground
256
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
China Institutes “Cooling Off” Period for Divorces
Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on TwitterShare on WeChat

Divorces are down—way down—in China so far this year, after the country instituted a new 30-day waiting period for divorces.

CNN reports, “According to statistics released by the country’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, 296,000 divorces were registered in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 1.06 million in the final quarter of last year—a drop of 72%. There was a nearly 52% drop year-on-year, from 612,000 in the first quarter of 2020.”

China is infamously struggling with a fast-falling fertility rate, one which some speculate will mean a five-percentage point shrinking of its labor force over the next few decades. In addition, 13.5% of its population is now 65 and above; this percentage compares with what Japan faced in the early 1990s, before that country began a three-decades long economic stagnation. In short, the demographic time bomb in China is serious, and the government has felt the pressure and started to get involved. Provinces have begun experimenting both with cash payments to newlyweds, as well as incentives for the birth of a second child and even miscarriage prevention leave to encourage its population to marry and bear children.

What the story neglected to report on was other reasons for the divorce downturn; both marriage and divorce rates are dramatically lower in many nations globally, due to the pandemic, although the complexities of the trend are still being researched. Some have speculated that those who would otherwise divorce are “stuck,” unable to make plans and move forward with their lives. But even these statistics are complicated. The American Family Survey, for example, found that the “share of married men and women ages 18-55 saying their marriage is in trouble declined from 40% in 2019 to 29% in 2020.” In other words, for a not-insignificant portion of married adults, the pandemic seems to have actually improved their marriage.

Nonetheless, the introduction of a waiting period in China is an interesting move. Is it really what’s making the difference in the divorce rate? Or is it some combination of other factors? It’s impossible to say for sure at this point, but there is a significant amount of research indicating that globally, people in developed nations divorce more often for emotional reasons (lack of love, “it just didn’t work,” etc.) than reasons like abuse; meaning time to “cool down” may help. There’s also research indicating that some divorcees—one survey has it at an astonishing half—actually regret their divorce. Even a more conservative estimate of divorce regret puts it at roughly 25%. This may seem not so bad; most people are still happy with their decision to divorce. But a 25% “error” rate is nothing to brag about when it comes to such a potentially devastating decision.

In short, China’s mandatory waiting period seems a good place to start, giving Chinese couples a chance to cool down, reconsider, or face the reality of what life without their spouse is going to look like. But it likely won’t do much in countering decades of a government-enforced one-child policy.

Tags: ChinademographyDivorceone child policy
Nicole King

Nicole King

Nicole M. King is the Managing Editor of IOF's journal, The Natural Family: An International Journal of Research and Policy, the United States’ leading journal of family-policy research. In that capacity, she writes, edits and corresponds with editors and contributors to ensure that each issue provides the most relevant and accurate research and policy analysis available. Nicole holds a B.A. in English as well as M.A.s in English and Political Theory. She has contributed to The Front Porch Republic and Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, among others. She is also a contributing editor to SALVO Magazine and a blogger at salvomag.com.

Discussion about this post

Popular News

  • Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

    Jersey’s trans inclusion guidance sparks parental outrage

    0 shares 18 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Justice continues with the proceedings against the organizers of the procession of the “Santina Queer” in Gijon after the complaint of Christian Lawyers.

    0 shares 17 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Lawyers request to Justice the withdrawal of a coloring booklet in the city hall of Ciudad Real(Spain)

    0 shares 17 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Lawyers once again paralyzes the demolition of a cross, in this case in Teruel (Spain).

    0 shares 9 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Christian Lawyers takes to court the government’s request for the resignification of the Valley for including parts of the Basilica, such as the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

    0 shares 8 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0

IFN – International Family News Network

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Quick Links

  • About iFamNews
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Subscribe

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

  • en English
  • it Italiano
  • es Español
  • fr Français
  • de Deutsch
  • pl Polski
  • sr српски
  • ru Русский
  • hr Hrvatski
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.