China's Spoiled 'One-Child' Kids Have High Divorce Rate

Rising divorce rates are causing concern in China, reports Louisa Lim of NPR. The rate has doubled in the past decade—39% of couples now split in Beijing—and many blame the spoiled one-child generation that came of age during the nation's economic boom. They're apparently too self-absorbed to make a marriage work. In one Beijing district, 97% of divorced couples under 30 were only children.

"Next time I'll look for a husband with siblings," says a 24-year-old woman whose marriage lasted only 6 months. These so-called lightning marriages, followed by lightning divorces, are driven by financial considerations such as rising house prices, says experts. The resulting custody disputes often have a twist, adds Lim: the only child is unwanted by either parent. "They want to remarry and have another child to give stability to the new marriage," says one divorce counselor. (More China stories.)