Topic 50 Marriage and Divorce in Our Country

　　During the period from 1997 to 2007, the number ofmarriage decreased from 9.51 million to 8.48million,while the number of divorce rose from 0.8million to 1.21 million.

　　We believe that three reasons may account for thisphenomenon.

　　First, young people of marriage age are becomingfewer and fewer

　　because of the family planning policy adopted sincethe late 1970s.

　　Second, the current society is one where fierce competition takes place everywhere,

　　and many young people can’t and won’t get married before they embark on a promisingcareer.

　　Third, today’s people put more and more emphasis on independence and freedom—

　　they won’t get married before they find an ideal partner,

　　and they will not hesitate to say goodbye when the spark of love dies down.

　　The great change, in my mind, signals the fundamental shift in people’s view on family andmarriage.

　　This trend will probably continue as contemporary people pay more and more attention tohigh-quality marriage.