Chinese University introduces new degree programme on marriage

China's Civil Affairs University unveiled a new undergraduate marriage program to promote marriage-related enterprises and culture, prompting criticism from social media users who questioned the necessity of such a course as marriage rates decrease.

The Beijing-based school seeks to "cultivate professionals to develop marriage-related industries and culture" as the program begins in September.

Policymakers are striving to reverse the decline in new births, which is strongly connected to marriage rates, after China's population declined for the second year in a row in 2023. Marriage is widely regarded as a necessity for having children, with one policy requiring parents to submit a marriage certificate in order to register the infant and get benefits. Single women and LGBTQ couples do not have equal rights.


The Global Times said that the new degree program, called Marriage Services and Management, will emphasize the growth of the marriage business with the goal of "highlighting China's positive marriage and family culture to students and the public and advancing reform of China's marriage customs."

70 undergraduates from 12 provinces will be enrolled by the institution this year to work in fields including as "family counseling, high-end wedding planning, and the development of matchmaking products." Weibo, a social networking platform in China, was mocked by some users, who wrote, "It's time to start a state owned marriage agency."

While China had a 12.4% increase in new marriages in 2023 compared to the previous year, reversing a nearly ten-year downward trend, demographers caution that this increase was primarily caused by postponed weddings after the COVID-19 epidemic.

Due to dismal job prospects and persistently low consumer confidence, a growing number of young people are choosing to remain unmarried or postpone getting married as growth in the second largest economy in the world slows down.

[Inputs from Reuters]