Greedy women

The judicial interpretation has generated mixed feelings. It is understandably welcomed by men, who argue that the revised law may prevent greedy women from marrying them only to one day divide assets in divorce disputes.

However, China's twitter-like Sina Weibo is overflowing with angry women's comments decrying the injustice they perceive in this substantial change of law. They fear the new legislation will encourage infidelity by husbands, who face no steep financial cost for divorcing wives they cheat on.

And the issue of gender equality has emerged at the center of online complaints, which typically go like this, "We women do housework, stand labor pains in delivery and sacrifice so much for the family, yet the law now decisively favors men and discriminates against us.

"Let's just give up our claims to real estate and will the men please take over the job of giving birth to kids by themselves?" reads another sarcastic posting on Weibo.

This rhetorical question, asked in a girlish tantrum, expresses the view that women's ownership claims to husbands' private properties are justifiable on the grounds that they are the "weaker" and "more productive" sex deserving of compensation.

Whether that view is right can be debated, but this kind of squabbling for conjugal influence and gains has significantly cheapened marriage to the point of being blind to all but material considerations.

Feminists advocating self-dependence for women will definitely reject the label that they are "weaker." But can they hope to convince the majority of young women in China who happily regard themselves as such and require home ownership of their suitors? I doubt so.

Alex Gladstone's and Greg Wells' random interviews on Nanjing Road W. of several hundred young girls have again borne out the well-proven argument that Shanghai girls mostly marry a guy for his house, not for who he is.

'Naked marriage'

My estimates of the proportion of local girls approving of so-called "naked marriage" (marriage with no frills such as a house and a car) are even gloomier.