Shanghai plans to make it easier to get divorced

Shanghai is going to try to cut the waiting room time for couples wanting to fill out a divorce application.

It plans to launch an online appointment booking system, so people can apply ahead of time and reduce their physical waiting time at government civil affairs offices.

Sun Xiaohong, deputy director of the marriage management department at the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, told China Daily that booking ahead will help government offices control how many filings they would have to process each day, as well as try to clear out waiting rooms that have become crowded.

A typical divorce registration used to take about half an hour, but that has nearly doubled since the bureau decided on Feb. 1 that each half must confirm separately to officers their willingness to go through with the divorce.

But that isn't the only reason for the longer waiting times. Divorce rates in China's most populated city have risen each year for the past 12 years, according to ministry data. 3.64 million couples went their separate ways in 2014 -- 3.9% more than 2013 -- and over 40% of the couples had divorced within three years of getting married.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A user on Weibo pointed out that the new booking system would open up opportunities for ticket scalpers -- a notorious phenomenon in China prevalent in hospitals and concerts.

Some questioned the ease of getting a divorce in Shanghai in the first place, and whether making the process smoother would continue to undermine the "seriousness" of marriage. "If divorce is too much trouble, don't get married in the first place," said a user named Shanshan.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.