OR China proceeded to revise a bill that will make easier to declare the marriage for couples and more difficult the divorce processa move that sparked backlash from social media users and has become a top topic on the Internet today.

The draft, which aims to build a “family-friendly society”, was put up for public consultation this week by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs. Citizens can submit their comments to the ministry until September 11.

Authorities are trying to encourage young couples to marry and have children as the country’s population declines for two straight years.

The proposed law removes the geographic restrictions on marriage under current law, according to which marriages take place in locations where each couple is registered.

Divorces will be subject to a 30-day review period, during which if one spouse does not want to divorce, the couple can withdraw the application, ending the process.

“It’s easy to get married but hard to divorce. What a stupid rule,” wrote a user on Chinese social media platform Weibo, garnering tens of thousands of likes.

The bill aims to “promote the importance of marriage and family”, curb spontaneous divorces, support social stability and better protect the legal rights of the parties involved, Jiang Chuanbao, a professor at the Institute, told the Global Times. of Population and Development Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University.

The number of couples in China who got married in the first half of this year fell by 498,000 from a year earlier to 3.43 million, the lowest since 2013, as more young people put off marriage, according to official data.

Marriage is typically considered a prerequisite for having children, as the country has various laws and policies, such as requiring parents to file a marriage certificate to register their child with the registry authorities in order to receive benefits.