Hunting for mistresses: A novel way to save marriage

China's marriage certificate [Photo/Xinhua]

To avoid the public embarrassment of a messy divorce Chinese women are looking at alternative ways to save a marriage from their husband's infidelity. The AFP reported on the services of a 'mistress hunter,' a woman hired to persuade the mistress to leave the husband.

"My goal is to prevent divorces," Shu Xin, the founder of Weiqing, a company that offers such services, told AFP. "Every year we save some 5,000 couples."

AFP describes the mistress hunters as women who all have psychology, sociology or law degrees. They train for three years before their first field mission, where they find opportunities to make contact with the mistress and persuade them to leave the married man. According to Xinhua, in 2014 the divorce rate was double what it was a decade ago. For couples to divorce in the past, many had to request permission from their employers or communities and public embarrassment kept many couples together. Since 2003, regulations have simplified the marriage and divorce procedure in China. Next to registry offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and other provinces, marriage guidance offices and psychologists are available for newlyweds.

Financial uncertainty also detains divorce and the option of simply removing the mistress from the equation for some is the desirable option.

"Some women do not want to divorce out of fear of getting into financial difficulty. They just want to get rid of the mistress. That's where we come in," Shu continued to tell the AFP.

According to Baihe.com, a Chinese dating site, 21% of first-time husbands and 20% of first-time wives have other lovers.

Regardless of infidelity, for some, saving a marriage by hiring a spy to persuade your husband's mistress to leave him is a novel and unique approach to keeping a household together.