Fake marriages and divorces are now rampant in China. According to experts, these increase of behaviors lead to damaging the essence of family values. Experts added that society no longer sees these behaviors as humiliating as they have been accustomed to them.
"Marriage is fragile now and gives way when it comes to reality. While before marriage was sacred and divorce is the last thing you would consider," Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University, reportedly told the Global Times.
Xia added that divorce damages social rules and order.
Local government in China showed the trend of fake marriages and divorce through data. A total of 97,600 couples got divorces in Beijing in 2016 alone.
Fake marriages and divorce is more rampant in the real estate industry. According to a real estate agent, they offer fake marriage in order for people to buy residential properties easily. Migrants just have to marry a local in order to get property.
Fake marriages and divorces is eroding traditional Chinese family values, according to Xia. She added that divorced are once humiliating for couples and even for the community but now, it's no longer an issue.
Unsurprisingly, reports claimed that some fake divorces become real in the long run. Some married couples also opt to get divorce in order to get a good deal on a real estate. A local Chinese media said that some couple refused to remarry their husbands or wives after they took possession of the new properties.
"When people are under pressure from overpriced housing, loopholes are their only way out," Zhou said, adding that these policies have made marriage more materialistic and that the authorities should make people-oriented policies or laws in order to curb this trend.
