Shanghai mixed-marriage divorces up

SHANGHAI, July 23 (UPI) -- Divorces of Chinese women married to non-Chinese men are rising in Shanghai, partly because wives fail to raise their standard of living, authorities say.

A judge with the Putuo District People's Court said there has been a 5 percent annual rise in divorce proceedings for mixed-marriage couples, which are frequently seen as based on expedience for Chinese women rather than love, China Daily reported Friday.

Judge Wang Fei said most mixed-marriage divorces are initiated by unemployed 40- to 50-year-old Chinese women who have been married before. These women sometimes marry foreign men hoping to immigrate to another country or have a higher standard of living, and when their aspirations are not met, they start divorce proceedings, Wang said.

It gets more complicated if illegal international matchmaking services are employed, the newspaper said.

"Some matchmakers did their jobs in the name of helping friends or relatives while they charge money," Wang said. "It is difficult to determine the nature of the agents' matchmaking activities and hold them responsible."

Zhou Jixiang, head of the marriage registration office with the Shanghai civil affairs bureau, said a number of Shanghai residents married American or Japanese intending to leave China.

"But now as Shanghai is developing at a fast pace and becomes a very nice place to live in, people don't need to marry foreigners to immigrate to other countries," Zhou said.