After coming out of quarantine, numerous couples in China have commenced divorce proceedings.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, people had to stay home for over a month as advised by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This prolonged period of forced togetherness seems to have strained many marriages, resulting in a surge in divorce applications.
The extensive wait for couples seeking divorce in Xi’an, China, has become a trending topic on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
According to the provincial Registrar of Marriage, appointments for divorce were fully booked, with the public required to wait for nearly three weeks to submit their applications, as stated by an officer of the bureau.
The bureau’s 17 offices were fully booked since reopening on March 2, after an extended closure due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
In Dazhou city of southwestern Sichuan province, the offices of the Registrar of Marriage were also inundated with divorce applications. The bureau’s chief for Tongchuan district, Dai Shijun, reported that they had processed 122 marriage applications and 88 divorce applications since reopening.
He mentioned that the demand for divorce appointments exceeded those for marriage, revealing over 100 couples waiting in line for a divorce. Dai attributed this surge to conflicts and disagreements becoming more apparent when couples spent extended periods together.
A Weibo user recounted that being together 24/7 made her husband’s flaws more noticeable, leading to frequent arguments over household chores. Another user lamented her husband’s behavior, stating that he neglected household responsibilities despite being unoccupied.
