An estimated 5,00o couples per day file for divorce in China:

Once a dirty word, divorce is now so commonplace that in the first half of 2011 almost one million marriages ended, a jump of 17.2 per cent on last year according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The Chinese Supreme Court recently modified existing divorce laws regarding residential property from joint ownership to the spouse who originally purchased the property.  The decision is being dubbed the “law that makes men laugh and women cry” and is seen as having a significant impact on female divorcee’s. The article also provides an interesting overview of the intersection between cultural and gender issues as a society grapples with a phenomenon that was largely seen as a western problem.  The full article can be found here