Chinese province of Jiangsu introduced a ‘divorce test’ for couples wishing to split

Beijing. May 25. Silkroadnews - The purpose of the ‘divorce test’, including such questions as “What is your partner’s favorite food?” - is to assess whether the relationship is really over, The Guardian reports.
“What is the best memory between you and your partner?”, “How many times have you travelled together?”, “What is your partner’s favourite food?”, “What is your child’s favourite snack?”, these are some questions from the “divorce test” presented last week by the Civil Affairs Department in Jiangsu Province, China, for couples who applied for divorce. The test is one of many government measures designed to stop the growing tide of divorces in the country.
Couples who scored more than 60 points in the test, which also includes questions about the dates of anniversaries and birthdays, still have a chance to salvage the marriage. Those whose score is lower are on the verge of breaking up their relations.
For more than ten years, the divorce rate in China has been growing. Last year, 3.4 million Chinese couples filed for divorce, an increase of 8% over the previous year.
The Chinese authorities are trying to stop the trend, caused by a combination of factors, including the growing financial independence of Chinese women and growing intolerance of domestic violence and extra-marital relations.
In 2016 President Xi Jinping called the family “the cell of society” and called on all Chinese people to preserve the culture of family relations. The Supreme Court of China then called on the courts to try to save marriages when possible.
In several courts couples who submitted for divorce have been given three months to meditate, before the divorce procedure begins. In Guangdong Province, couples should attend the mediation classes.
After the “divorce test” has been criticized on the Internet, the local authorities explained that passing the test is purely voluntary. As reported by the Civil Affairs Department, most couples refused to take the test. Three couples who passed the test, continued the procedure for divorce.
After Internet users said that the test before the wedding could be more useful, the department began offering a voluntary “marriage exam” consisting of 10 questions and free counseling on marriage.