New property policy leads to more divorces
Source: Xinhua |
November 15, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A PROPERTY policy issued by a district government in southwest China's Guizhou Province has led to a divorce boom among local villagers.
The number of couples filing for divorce each day in Yunyan District, Guiyang City, capital of Guizhou, has increased five-fold since the property policy went into effect in October.
The policy stipulates that a local household can apply for a land area of no more than 130 square meters and a total floor area not exceeding 240 square meters for housing construction.
The policy is part of local authorities' attempts to curb rampant illegal housing construction, but it has resulted in a marked increase in the divorce rate.
However, many newly divorced couples will remarry their original spouse later since they are trying to double the property area they can own.
Newlyweds and even couples in their 90s have jumped on the divorce bandwagon to take advantage of the policy loophole, forcing the district government to open more intake windows to handle waves of applications.
A just-divorced couple said they did not really want to divorce.
"Our marriage is fine, but divorce is the only way to get the extra property. We cannot find a better way," they said.
The situation in Yunyan has aroused concern among netizens, who are commenting by the thousands on Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter.
"It is the loophole that forced people to resort to the inappropriate ways," wrote "ONLY_MR."
"I think the local government should improve its policy-making ability, and citizens should be better educated on marriage and divorce," wrote "Yegenglan."
Authorities said the upsurge in divorce cases is more than was expected.
It's not the first time that such a thing has happened in China, though. Similar cases were reported in Shanghai a few years ago when the municipal government limited new apartment purchases to one per family. Many couples planned to dodge the rule through fake divorces, and some even turned to companies selling bogus divorce certificates to buy more new apartments.
"The government should be more open and precise when making public policies," said Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China. "It should hold more public hearings and solicit advice from experts and the general public."
Wang Zhongwu, a sociology professor at Shandong University, voiced his concern. "What if those 'fake divorces' turn real?" Wang said.
The number of couples filing for divorce each day in Yunyan District, Guiyang City, capital of Guizhou, has increased five-fold since the property policy went into effect in October.
The policy stipulates that a local household can apply for a land area of no more than 130 square meters and a total floor area not exceeding 240 square meters for housing construction.
The policy is part of local authorities' attempts to curb rampant illegal housing construction, but it has resulted in a marked increase in the divorce rate.
However, many newly divorced couples will remarry their original spouse later since they are trying to double the property area they can own.
Newlyweds and even couples in their 90s have jumped on the divorce bandwagon to take advantage of the policy loophole, forcing the district government to open more intake windows to handle waves of applications.
A just-divorced couple said they did not really want to divorce.
"Our marriage is fine, but divorce is the only way to get the extra property. We cannot find a better way," they said.
The situation in Yunyan has aroused concern among netizens, who are commenting by the thousands on Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter.
"It is the loophole that forced people to resort to the inappropriate ways," wrote "ONLY_MR."
"I think the local government should improve its policy-making ability, and citizens should be better educated on marriage and divorce," wrote "Yegenglan."
Authorities said the upsurge in divorce cases is more than was expected.
It's not the first time that such a thing has happened in China, though. Similar cases were reported in Shanghai a few years ago when the municipal government limited new apartment purchases to one per family. Many couples planned to dodge the rule through fake divorces, and some even turned to companies selling bogus divorce certificates to buy more new apartments.
"The government should be more open and precise when making public policies," said Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China. "It should hold more public hearings and solicit advice from experts and the general public."
Wang Zhongwu, a sociology professor at Shandong University, voiced his concern. "What if those 'fake divorces' turn real?" Wang said.
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