Fewer Chinese tie the knot
( 2003-08-15 10:17) (Xinhua)
The number of people registering for marriage in China has decreased steadily over the past five years, according to statistics released by the All-China Women's Federation Thursday.
In 1998, 8.916 million couples registered at marriage offices across the country, but the figure dropped by over 1 million to 7.86 million in 2002.
Meanwhile, the number of divorces in China has remained comparatively stable in the past five years, at around 1.2 millioneach year. The year 2001 witnessed a peak period, with 1.25 million couples separated during the year, but the figure declinedto a five-year low of 1.177 million in 2002.
At a press conference Thursday morning, Gu Xiulian, vice president of the All-China Women's Federation, said that, personally speaking, she couldn't accept the practice of the so-called "one-night stand" or extramarital affairs.
"Marriage is a serious and solemn issue, and everyone should be responsible for their marriages and families," said Gu, who is also a vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. She called on everyone in society to value the fine traditions of the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization.
"If you are in an unhappy marriage, sure you are free to seek adivorce. But practices like having extramarital affairs or even keeping mistresses and secret concubines have seriously underminedsocial ethics," she said. "Our country's Marriage Law clearly advocates monogamy."
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