During the 2012 session of the National People's Congress of China in March, a deputy named Huang Xihua submitted a proposal to lower the minimum legal age for marriage in China to 18. Currently the minimum legal age for marriage is 22 for males and 20 for females. Huang said the current marriage age threshold is the highest in Chinese history and is responsible for social phenomena such as a rising number of singles and premarital cohabitation.

In addition Huang said that in China the average age for marriage is now between 25 and 29, and as a result, the proportion of women giving birth to children around 35 is increasing. Lowering the legal marriage age will help to protect the health of women and children.

But those supporting the current legal age say that at 18 youth are still emotionally immature, have no regular source of income and many are still at school.

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Sanpi

Zhanjiang Evening News

From the legal perspective, any citizen aged 18 and above is an "adult" and is thought to be able to take responsibility for their civil activities. Therefore, it's old enough to get married at 18.

If the threshold of legal marriage age is reduced to 18, people will be empowered with more right of choice. In cities, people may choose to marry late because the economic pressure will be heavy if getting married at such a young age. But in rural areas, it's better for young people to get married earlier, for the benefit of their children. 

Qingzi

Zhanjiang Daily

The current legal marriage age threshold of 22 for males and 20 for females is the highest in Chinese history. Although such a high age threshold for marriage aims to protect adolescents' physical and psychological health, it at the same time sows the seeds of hidden danger. Although China's colleges are expanding the scale of enrollment, still many more young people do not go to college.

These young people enter society at 18 years old, and they may need to get married at that age. But due to legal restrictions, they are not allowed to get married so young and as a result, they have to live together, labeled as "illegal cohabitation." Therefore, if the legal marriage age is lowered, it's good news for this group of young people.

Hong Bin

Freelancer

I think the idea is quite good. Actually, Huang proposed to lower the minimum legal age for marriage to 18 years old. It is an option for people, not forcing them to marry exactly at the age of 18. If someone thinks it is too early to marry at the age of 18, they can choose to marry in his or her 20s or 30s. But if someone wants to marry earlier, they can legally get married.

I agree with Huang that lowering the current marriage age threshold to 18 years old can help ease a lot of social problems, especially in rural areas, where many people do not go to universities after they graduate from high school. Some of them want to marry but can not and they may choose cohabitation without marriage. Without legal marriage, women in the cohabitation cannot be protected.