There is a new trend in China: formerly married women, especially those with small children, are looking for another person in a similar situation to live together as partners. They seek support from each other, split their expenditures and help with childcare. Kursiv LifeStyle has decided to take a look at this trend more closely.
According to a survey of 271 Chinese single mothers by China Women’s News, 59.4% of them never received any regular payments from their former husbands. In this situation, the growing number of “divorce partners” seems to be understandable. Chinese women often look for such a female partner through public advertisements.
A woman from the Guangdong province shared their story with the South China Morning Post. Jingwen Lin (not her real name) got pregnant at 35 and was forced to quit her job after refusing the abortion her ex-boyfriend wanted her to get. Struggling with financial hurdles, she placed an advertisement in an attempt to find a partner. She ended up finding a woman from the Shandong province, who gave care to Lin’s baby and did all the chores, allowing Lin to find a job.
They had lived together for 108 days and broke up due to financial difficulties as their business went bankrupt.
Single mothers make up one of the most vulnerable social groups in China, especially in big cities. Despite all the advantages of the partnership between single moms, these families aren’t recipients of any support from the Chinese government. In some cases, this partnership can also lead to financial disputes.
Meanwhile, this trend has the potential to emerge in Kazakhstan as well. As of early 2024, Kazakhstan was ranked second in terms of the number of divorces (4.6 people in 1,000) in the world after the Maldives. According to experts, the main reasons for this are the intervention of relatives (61%), a lack of moral restrictions (41%) and the simplicity of the divorcing process (25%). Certain changes in the perception of gender roles in Kazakhstan’s society may also contribute to this trend.
