MarryforHomeorHouse？—MarriageLawexplanationtriggerscontroversy.docVIP

Marry for Home or House? —Marriage Law explanation triggers controversy “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen said 300 years ago. But nowadays in China, it is a truth that a single woman without a possession of a good fortune may not be able to sustain her marriage. The latest judicial interpretation of the Marriage Law stipulates that houses bought on mortgage by one party prior to the marriage are to be deemed as the personal property of the registered owner, rather than the joint estate of the couple. That is to say, the traditional Chinese view of securing a marriage has changed. On the one hand, the groom doesn’t have to buy an apartment for the bride. On the other hand, the bride cannot have the ownership of the couple’s house which is not bought by herself after divorce. Voices： The interpretation triggered controversy. Many hold that the new judicial interpretation of Marriage law is “good news” for men, protecting their advantageous position in a marriage, and damaging the interests of the weaker party. “It neglects the rural women who are exception. They don’t have the stable income like those female white collars and generally speaking, they are employed in the big cities,” said Elizabeth Chen, a senior majored in the Studies of Women in China Women’s University. She further noted, in countryside, the tradition is that the duty of the groom is to pay for the house while the bride the home. It emphasizes on the division of labour and compensation, and these efforts they contribute to family are incalculable. So there is a problem about this interpretation – it only considers the house property but ignored the society as a whole with different gender division of labour. “I think it’s unfair to the female part in marriage. The female part helps uphold the family and makes great contribution to family’ welfare, but she gets no reward if unfortunately she divorces, wi