As material well-being rises, so does the divorce rate. More and more women file for divorce whilst many find solace only in raising their children.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Only one Chinese couple in two believes in marriage, one in three has doubts about it and only one in ten is certain about it, this according to a report by the Social Survey Institute.

Basing its research on a survey of 1150 couples, the Institute found that 10 per cent of respondents (two thirds men) considered married life a "nightmare", whilst another 50 per cent (mostly women) had doubts about their spouse's fidelity.

Overall, married life was more satisfying for women, but the reason was not marital bliss but rather maternal care and children's education.

The report also found that the higher the educational level of couples the weaker the marriage. Two university graduates (64 per cent) in three felt uncertain about married life. By contrast, among illiterate or semiliterate couples, one in two believed in "eternal love".

Guandong is a case in point. In ten years, the number of divorced women in this southern Chinese province rose threefold, from 43,000 in 1990 to 131,000 in 2000.

This trend follows the rate of economic growth and expanding education. Over the past decade, the number of graduate women divorcing rose by 74 per cent compared to 25 per cent for less educated women.

Although the divorce rate in China rose by 13 per cent, it still lagged far behind countries like the US (50 per cent) and Canada (33 per cent).

The study identified several factors behind the marriage crisis; topping the list were gaps in income, social status and basic education as well as migration. Increasingly in fact, marriages break up because one spouse stays in the country whilst the other moves to the city.

• china
• family
• population
• marriages
• capitalism
• wealth
• economy
• communism
• corruption