Xinmin Evening News reported that, according to the National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the national marriage rate in 2018 was only 7.2 percent, which is the lowest it has been in nearly 10 years. 2013 was the turning point and the marriage rate has been declining for five consecutive years since 2014. More developed regions had a relatively lower marriage rate. The marriage rate in 2018 in Shanghai was only 4.4 percent, the lowest in the nation. Zhejiang was 5.9 percent which was the second lowest, and the marriage rates in Guangdong, Beijing, Tianjin and other places were also lower. Economists believe that the low national marriage rate in 2018 is closely related to the stronger independence of young people. With the improvement of the income level and the change of perspective about life, economically independent young people can have more options. They can maintain a relationship or they can live together but not get married. Therefore, many people believe that, while marriage is a need for a certain group of people, it is not for everyone, nor is it the only correct choice. While China’s marriage rate has hit a record low, the divorce rate has been climbing for 16 consecutive years. In 2002, only one out of seven married couples got a divorce. By 2017, the divorce rate was one out of every three marriages. One scholar pointed out that the imbalance between males and females is an important reason for the low marriage rate in the country. According to the sixth national census data, there were 154 million males aged between 14 and 27 in 2010 and 143 million females aged 12 to 25 in 2010. That means that a large number of males will not be able to get married when they reach the legal age for marriage, which is 22.
Source: qq.com, July 13, 2019
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