A new study was conducted regarding the increase in divorce cases in China. In this, the sociologist pointed out that a major reason for the increasing trend of divorce is the increase in economic independence and social acceptance of women.
Modern women living in cities are now choosing divorce to ‘get out of bad relationships’, rather than living under the pressure of society.
To make divorce challenging, the government has implemented the ‘cooling-off’ rule, in which divorce is not granted immediately. Despite this, divorce cases increased. If we talk about the current situation in China, the demand for divorce from women is at a record level.
27 lakh divorces registered in 2025
The data clearly shows that, the number of consensual divorces in 2025 was the highest in 5 years; During this period, a total of more than 27 lakh divorces were registered. This is 28% more than in 2021. About 70% of divorce cases are filed by women. At the same time, after 1980 there was a historic decline in the marriage rate. The lowest number of marriages took place in the last 44 years. Being ‘single’ is becoming the new status symbol.
The economic recession and changes in family structure have further accelerated this trend. According to social scientists, this change represents the end of the ‘traditional family model’ in Chinese society and a major step towards ‘personal freedom.’ Now women are seeing divorce as a new social right for their separate identity and self-respect. This is a sign of social change and increasing rights of women.
The government had implemented a new rule in 2021
Whereas, to deal with this situation, the Chinese government had implemented a new rule of 30 days ‘cooling-off period’ in 2021. That is, a mandatory ‘thinking period’ of 30 days was kept before divorce registration. This initially reduced divorces, but then increased. Women are more vocal than ever about equality, respect and likes and dislikes in relationships.
Gui Fangfang, a family law lawyer in Shanghai, says, ‘Earlier, women usually cited major atrocities for divorce. Such as domestic violence, extramarital affairs or irresponsible habits like gambling, but now women give reasons like – ‘The quality of marriage is not good’ or ‘Our values are not matching.’