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China Marriage

In Chinese cities, the divorce rate has tripled since 1980 as the Communist Party has allowed more personal freedom. It is common for men to have extramarital affairs. Men who leave their wives often provide little or no support. China's old divorce law is largely silent on the subject of alimony because private property did not exist when the law was written. Now China is revising the law. Because there is more public debate on these matters, women are helping to shape the new law, wrestling with questions like "should adulterers be imprisoned?" NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

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