Chinese university announces first marriage-related degree course

Weibo

02/08/2024 09:23

HONG KONG, Aug 2 (Reuters) - China's Civil Affairs
University announced a new undergraduate marriage program to
develop marriage-related industries and culture, drawing scorn
of social media users who questioned the need for such a course
as marriage rates decline.  
    With the program due to start in September, the
Beijing-based institution aims to "cultivate professionals to
develop marriage related industries and culture", state media
reported this week. 
    Policymakers are struggling to reverse the fall in new
births, which are closely linked to marriage rates, after
China's population fell for a second consecutive year in 2023.
    Marriage is seen as a prerequisite for having children due
to widespread policies, including one that requires parents to
present a marriage certificate to register the baby and receive
benefits. Single women and LGBTQ couples are not entitled to the
same rights.  
    Called Marriage Services and Management, the new degree
programme will focus on the development of the marriage
industry, "aiming to highlight China's positive marriage and
family culture to students and the public and advancing reform
of China's marriage customs", the Global Times said. 
     The university will enrol 70 undergraduates from 12
provinces this year to field sectors including "family
counselling, high-end wedding planning and the development of
matchmaking products."
    Some users on China's social media platform Weibo ridiculed
the announcement with one writing "It's time to start a state
owned marriage agency."
    Others questioned the need for such a degree. 
   "This industry is not just a sunset, it's doomsday," one
wrote, while another commented that "Learning this major is
really unemployment after graduation." 
     While the number of new marriages in China jumped 12.4% in
2023 from a year earlier, reversing a downtrend that has lasted
for almost a decade, demographers warn that this was more due to
delayed nuptials following the COVID-19 pandemic. 
     Many young people are opting to stay single or put off
getting married due to poor job prospects and chronically low
consumer confidence as growth in the world's second largest
economy slows.
    

 (Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom
Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
 ((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))