IN 2004 the city saw 123,038 new couples registered as married, while another 27,376 couples divorced, the Oriental Morning Post reported. Sources with the Shanghai Bureau of Civil Affairs said the number of divorced couples ¡°rose slightly?compared with that in 2003.

According to a report from the China Central Television, during the first nine months, Shanghai saw a 30 per cent rise in divorces.

Insiders said this is related to the implementation of new regulations on marriage registration which makes the procedure of divorce easier.

Since last October, with the implementation of the new regulations, people no longer need certification from their employers when deciding to divorce. Couples who have fully prepared can finish their divorce in a day, only paying 10 yuan (US$1.20) as a procedure fee.

¡°We can¡¯t simply conclude that the divorce rate rose last year in the city based on these figures,?said Xu Anqi, an expert at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Xu said just comparing the divorce situation in 2004 with that in 2003 was not very scientific. For one thing, in 2003 the SARS scare changed many peoples?lives. Furthermore, many couples hearing about the convenient divorces introduced by the new regulations delayed their divorce until it was put into effect.

But the expert confessed an underlying rise in divorce rates really did seem to be occurring. In the period from 1978 to 2003, the divorce rate more than tripled.

Xu said typical conflicts between couples were the main reason for divorce in Shanghai. Extramarital love affairs were the second major reason, responsible for about 30 per cent of divorces.

In addition, children were an important element affecting the divorce rate, according to Xu. About 40 per cent of divorced couples are childless. ¡°More kids, less divorce,?Xu said. ¡°But with the policy of family planning, the family structure has become simpler, along with less interference from employers and the community, so the rising divorce rate is hard to avoid.? (Star News)