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Five Changes in Chinese Marriages

Since China's reform and opening up, there have been great changes in Chinese marriages: More and more forms of family have appeared, men and women are more independent than before and individual rights are respected within the marriage and family.

With the economic development since China's reform and opening-up, Chinese people have changed their concept of marriage and family. These changes have aroused the attention of the public.

Mature Expectations for a Partner

As Chinese people are becoming better-off, their expectations of a partner have also changed in some ways. In the past, when young people chose a partner, they emphasized the other side's appearance, job, family background, income, fixed assets, ability to manage housework, etc. With the improvement in living standards and popularization of home electronic appliances, especially thanks to the advancement of women's liberation, young people have abandoned some "important standards" for a partner.

Now people attach more importance to personality and personal qualities. They hope to keep their relationship fresh through effective and frequent communication. Home is expected to be an attractive and comfortable place. Young women expect their partner to be humorous and curious, to respect them, and to make their lives full of pleasure.

Number of Cohabitants Increasing

With the advancement of China's urbanization, people no longer regard cohabitation as a revolutionary behavior. Instead, more and more young people choose to live together to prepare for a serious marriage in the future. As contemporary women have enough income to feed themselves, they tend to abandon the traditional model of marriage where husbands act as the backbone of a family to support wives and children. They regard emotional harmony and sex as the most important elements of marriage.

Aiming at High-quality Marriage

The sample survey also shows that Chinese couples no longer depend on the marriage certificate or children to maintain marriage; instead, they try to learn skills for enjoying a high-quality marriage. In their opinion, a high-quality marriage refers to: Men and women enjoy more equality in marriage; men learn more about the knowledge of getting along with women; husbands are willing to share housework with their wives and couples learn to respect each other's privacy; marriage is a relationship within which couples want emotional, sexual and psychological satisfaction.

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