Shanghai's first 'divorce club' had its official debut on Valentine's Day yesterday, aiming to provide counselling and support to the city's separated.
Organisers said they chose the day because 'it is a happy thing to escape from a dead marriage'. The club had more than 100 members and organisers planned to set up branches around the country, Shanghai's Youth Daily said.
Apart from a venue to meet other divorcees, the club offers a website, counselling and even financial help after divorces.
The club held a meeting this week before the official launch. More women have joined than men, and women supposedly showed a greater tendency to speak about their experiences, leading to fears that men were less likely to 'show pain'.
The divorce rate has surged in Shanghai because of greater economic freedom for women and adultery, which sociologists say is both a sign and a cause of divorces. Last year, the city recorded 30,745 divorces, up 12 per cent from 2004, the Oriental Morning Post said.
The number of marriages fell by 18 per cent to 100,297, in part because it was considered an unlucky year to wed, the newspaper said.
