A Comparative Study of Divorce in Three Chinese Societies

Abstract

Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong are three of very few areas of the world which have high rates of economic growth along with low divorce rates. However, the divorce rates in those countries have increased rapidly since 1970. In contrast to western families that experience an increased rate of divorce with industrialization, the variation in the divorce rates in these three Chinese societies were not accounted for by industrialization. This cross-societal, comparative study drawing on secondary data, applied the concepts of the social exchange theory to analyze the cost of divorce in the target societies and its impact on divorce rates. Findings suggest that, while industrialization triggers change similar to the West, cultural values, the physical environment, the legal system, and the public policies affect the range and the direction of family response and change. The differences indicate that researchers should carefully consider cultural variations before applying Western based theory to other societies.