Divorce in the United States and China

Divorce in the United States and China

Abstract
In the United States and China the views of marriage and divorce are rapidly changing. The sanctity of marriage no longer exists within the family unit. Divorce has become a quick fix to ending non-productive marital relationships. Recent changes in divorce laws in the United States and China make it less difficult to obtain divorces in these countries. Both countries being highly populated, China’s divorce rate is considerably lower than that of the United States. Divorce in the United States and China are based on similar characteristics and determinants with very little differences. The couples in these two countries although different in culture share the same perceptions of what circumstances require a marriage to end.

Divorce in the United States and China
Divorce, which is the result of a failed marriage, is a legal process set forth by a man and woman who wish to no longer be married. All around the world couples are getting divorced every day. Many countries with high population such as the United States and China experience steady changes in divorce rates regardless of somewhat restrictive divorce laws. My research of the characteristics and determinants of divorce in the United States and China will enable me to see the similarities and differences of divorce shared by these two countries. “The divorce rate in the United States rose steadily from 2.5 per 1000 population in 1966 to a peak of 5.3 in both 1979 and 1981.The marriage rate reached a historic high of 16.4 per 1000 population in 1946 and started declining. Both rates continue to decline. Over a period of twelve months, ending in September 2003, the marriage rate and divorce rate were 7.6 and 3.8” (C. Fan, H. Lui, 2004). “In 1949, China initiated a new Chinese marriage act that resulted in an increase in the divorce rate. During the years following, the divorce rate leveled off until the 1980’s. In 1982 110, 930 divorces were granted but in 1986 the number rose to 500,000. The...

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