China's Spoiled 'One-Child' Kids Have High Divorce Rate

They may be too selfish for marriage
Chinese Divorces Caused by 'One Child' Policy
   (AP)

Rising divorce rates are causing concern in China, reports Louisa Lim of NPR. The rate has doubled in the past decade—39% of couples now split in Beijing—and many blame the spoiled one-child generation that came of age during the nation's economic boom. They're apparently too self-absorbed to make a marriage work. In one Beijing district, 97% of divorced couples under 30 were only children.

"Next time I'll look for a husband with siblings," says a 24-year-old woman whose marriage lasted only 6 months. These so-called lightning marriages, followed by lightning divorces, are driven by financial considerations such as rising house prices, says experts. The resulting custody disputes often have a twist, adds Lim: the only child is unwanted by either parent. "They want to remarry and have another child to give stability to the new marriage," says one divorce counselor. (More China stories.)

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