Love still trumps only-child status when seeking a mate

Relationship experts say the decision to relax the family planning policy will not have a fundamental effect on how Chinese people choose a potential mate.

Authorities announced plans to amend the rules after the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

It means couples in which one person is an only child will soon be able to have two children.

Several media reported the news, saying that more men and women will now choose partners who have no siblings.

Xinhua News Agency was one of them. In November, its website released a poll of 5,673 people that found 20 percent said "no siblings" was at the top of the list of requirements for potential spouses.

However, Tang Can from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Center for Women's Research said reports had exaggerated the impact.

Love is still one of most important factors for someone choosing a spouse, she said, as is character, family background and income.

"Plus, the desire to have a second child is not strong in families in first-tier cities due to the costs," she said. "Today, young people focus more on their careers, personal fulfillment and quality of life."

Tang went on to quote a study that found couples in Shanghai have on average 0.8 children.

According to the Xinhua poll, less than 40 percent said they wanted to have two children.

Although Yuan Xin, a professor of population and development at Nankai University, said the family planning policy change may influence some people, he agreed that affection will still play the most important role in selecting a partner.

"Most urban residents born are their family's only child, so they don't need to worry about whether their spouse is one," he said. "And most rural residents can already have a second baby."

Zhou Xiaopeng, a chief consultant with matchmaking website Baihe, said if there is an impact, it will not be obvious. "For example, more people might want a second child, so a single woman may put a higher premium on a potential husband's economic situation," she said.

University student Liu Hua in Baoji, Shaanxi province, has two brothers but said she would not mind if her boyfriend was an only child. "A marriage should be built on love," the 20-year-old said.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn