CHINA / Top News |
70% couples filing divorce suits feel regret(Shanghai Daily)Updated: 2007-01-19 16:24 Do couples who feel imprisoned by wedlock and yearn to recover their "freedom" get what they want by divorcing? A recent report shows that about 70 percent of Chinese couples who divorced via lawsuits regret their decision to divorce, Xinhua news agency reported The findings -- which contrast with data from Western countries where attitudes about divorce and divorcees are more tolerant -- reflect a traditionally negative attitude towards divorce in China. The report, released by the Beijing Municipal Committee of China Association for Promoting Democracy, cited figures of more than 400 divorce lawsuits from 50 cities nationwide. It claimed that an increasing number of divorced couples choose to repair their original marriage. However, a figure on the actual number of "repaired marriages" wasn't given. "Marriage counseling should be provided to both teenagers and adults, offering instruction about dealing with marital problems so as to maintain a harmonious family," said the report, suggesting that classes about marriage should be open to college and middle school students. Ke Zhi, a lawyer and also the founder of China's first divorce Website which offers legal assistance to parted couples, said that in about 60 percent of the failed marriages he has dealt with, "excessive emotional reactions" were the reason for the divorce. These excessive reactions explained why so many divorced couples soon regretted their decision to divorce, he said. |
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