County in Jiangxi awards privileges for 'low betrothal gifts'

A county in east China's Jiangxi Province recently launched a marriage reform policy where newlyweds, whose bride's family receives betrothal gifts worth 39,000 yuan (US$5,417.92) or less, will be eligible for various social privileges.

Couples in Chongyi County who meet this requirement can enjoy preferential treatment including priority school enrollment for their children, discounts at tourist attractions and free bus travel.

The policy will be implemented for a trial period of one year, according to the Chongyi Civil Affairs Bureau.

It said the policy was an incentive rather than mandatory. "It aims to encourage new couples to get married with 'zero bride prices' or 'low bride prices' in a bid to reduce the burden on families as well as boost the healthy social atmosphere of marriage," said a staff member.

The topic of sky-high bride prices is a subject that has sparked heated debate over the years. A recent report by a research team from Central China Normal University shows that over 40 percent of 119 villages surveyed had the problem of "leftover men" with difficulty in getting married. One major cause is that "sky-high bride prices" prevail in the marriage market in some provinces, especially in underdeveloped areas, according to the survey.

For example, the betrothal gift amount in a county in east China's Shandong Province has climbed from 188,000 yuan in 2020 to "nearly 300,000 yuan" in 2023, comparable to the savings a rural family might accumulate over five to seven years.

National and local civil affairs authorities have taken measures to tackle such betrothal gifts-oriented marriage customs in recent years. The Ministry of Civil Affairs issued guidance in 2020, urging a national push to rectify the unhealthy trend of sky-high betrothal gifts. Fuzhou, a city in Jiangxi Province, issued a policy in January which stipulates that betrothal gifts cannot exceed three times the per capita annual income of villagers in a specific area.

On Weibo there has been an outpouring of heated discussion and a backlash. Many contributors criticized the legitimacy of preferential school admission of children as a reward for "zero bride prices" or "low bride prices."

"It is absurd to trade public resources with educational equity! Based on what can the children of 'low bride prices' couples enjoy the privilege of school enrollment? Educational equity becomes nonsense!" one commented.

Authorities from Chongyi County have confirmed with the local education bureau that local students are still enrolled in school based on the school district where they live, which does not contradict the existing admission policy, a staff member from Chongyi Civil Affairs Bureau told thepaper.cn on Monday.

Despite this, Zhang Chao, a senior lawyer with the Shanghai Guoling law firm, believes that it is against social ethics to stake the interests of children against sky-high bride prices.

"Children's schooling has always been a significant and sensitive social issue, which is closely linked to the future and destiny of every ordinary family," Zhang said, "This policy will inevitably sacrifice the interests of some children and take a toll on education equality in the long run."

Other negative remarks online target the feasibility of the policy. One person commented: "Brides' families can raise the price of betrothal gifts in disguise using demanding real assets like property, cars, gold, and silver."

Addressing this, Zhang said that the value of betrothal gifts is difficult to access because it is a private matter. "Who are the eligible newlyweds? Who are the authorities to identify them?" he said.

"Without legal supervision, power rent-seeking may occur in the price evaluation of betrothal gifts," he added.