"The dish you ordered today was more expensive than mine, and I
covered the difference. Don't forget to pay me back."
Those lines might seem to be part of a conversation between two
college roomies. But nowadays such exchanges are common between A-A
married couples or romantic partners.
The basic principle of living an A-A lifestyle is that each of
the parties controls his or her disposable income and spends it as
desired. All bills are strictly divided and rights to financial
independence jealously guarded. It entails a universal application
of the Dutch treat concept.
A-A couples first appeared in the southeastern coastal cities of
Guangdong
Province, gradually spreading north to such metropolises as Shanghai,
Beijing,
Tianjin
and even as far as Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang
Province.
An urban legend is circulating around Beijing about a university
couple that may be carrying their A-A status to extremes. They have
his and hers bank accounts, as well as one joint account for
agreed-upon shared expenditures, like food. One day in the checkout
line at the supermarket they realized they had forgotten to bring
the joint-account card. Neither would relent and use the personal
cards to pay the bill; instead, they paid for a taxi to go home and
get the appropriate card.
Anything new often generates controversy. Although opinions tend
to be strong and debates sometimes heated, there is often both good
and bad in new concepts like A-A.
In general, A-A couples are on sound financial footing. Most of
them have attended or graduated university and earn comfortable
salaries. They tend to be independent and open-minded. Even a few
older, more established, middle-class white-collar workers and
intellectuals are opting for the A-A lifestyle. Like DINKs-dual
income, no kids-each partner has his or her own source of funds,
and there are no children or elderly parents to support. In China,
a distinction is made between DINKs and A-A couples in that the
latter may be living together without marrying.
Guo Li, head of the Heilongjiang Provincial Research Institute
on Marriage and Love, says that those who are financially
independent are the strongest advocates of the A-A lifestyle. Since
urban women typically pull in only 70 percent of the earnings of
their male counterparts, it is probably predominantly men who have
pushing A-A into the limelight. However, notes Guo, there is a
group of intellectual females who embrace A-A as a way to
demonstrate their independence.
In an informal random survey of college student couples who are
living together, one is hard put to find anyone who doesn't
advocate A-A. Despite their limited funds, the students have no
qualms about leaving tradition behind and embracing a new lifestyle
like A-A.
?
In the West, DINKs became commonplace among young, upwardly mobile
professionals back in the 1980s. The concept, in its altered A-A
form, first began to draw attention in China about 10 years ago as
a result of the nation's opening to the world and its growing
prosperity.
The advancing status of women was another significant
contributor. By 2000, 84.9 percent of Chinese women had their own
sources of income, even if their husbands earned enough to support
them.
Despite the boom in popularity, the A-A lifestyle is not likely
to become mainstream. It is probably here to stay for a minority,
however, as a steady trickle of young, comparatively wealthy urban
couples enjoy the benefits of both cohabitation and financial
independence. Children, aging parents and increased
responsibilities will likely pull many back to more traditional
practices as they grow older.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ruyue, June 30, 2004)