More and more youngsters in China opting for divorce

Experts have revealed that China is witnessing a rising divorce rate among youths belonging to the "post-1980s generation", single children who are the product of China's 1979 family planning policy.

According to the ministry of civil affairs, 1.71 million couples filed for divorce last year, up 10.3% over 2008, reports the China Daily.

There is no specific data on the number of divorces among the post-80s group, but the Chinese Research Association on Youth and Family says 30% of such marriages end up failing.

"The reason the divorce rate is high among post-80s couples is mainly that they value their own interests and rarely care about other people's feelings," said Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Center.

"They are officially China's first 'Me Generation'," Yunxiao added.

The impulsive decisions of the post-80s generation is just one of the factors behind China's rising divorce rate. The underlying reason, said youth and marriage therapist Ma Fengru, is society's increasingly progressive views about divorce.

"Chinese people's views on various things have become more open, so people have become more accepting of this," Ma said.

The decision to marry and divorce is influenced by the growing emphasis on what is beneficial to the individual - in a society that has traditionally been taught to prioritize the welfare of the collective.

"People are putting more emphasis on what they feel and bring these expectations into marriage," Ma added.