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A Chinese firm in the Shandong province was severely criticized after adopting a controversial policy that threatened to lay off single or divorced employees by the close of September.
The decision was widely seen as an infringement of personal liberty and labor law, prompting the firm to withdraw the policy following intervention from the government.
Company’s Rare Marriage Mandate
Shandong Shuntian Chemical Group Co. Ltd., which employs more than 1,200 workers, came up with the policy in January, hoping to boost marriage among employees. The notice was for single and divorced workers between the ages of 28-58, and they were asked to marry by September 2025. Those who did not do so by March were asked to write a self-criticism letter, and those who remained unmarried by June would be evaluated.
Workers who did not marry by September would be dismissed. The firm rationalized the policy by espousing traditional Chinese virtues like diligence, loyalty, and filial piety. It even argued that remaining single was “disloyal” to the government’s attempts to boost marriage rates and “unjust” to colleagues’ hopes.
Wave of Backlash
The policy elicited indignation on Chinese social media, with users decrying it as an encroachment into personal liberty. Most of them noted that the marriage law of China protects a person’s right to decide whether or not to marry.
“Leave its own business to this crazy company and out of the private life of employees,” one user remarked. Another argued that the ones who were fired under the policy could claim legal compensation, wondering, “Will they punish married employees for having no children next?”
Legal scholars also attacked the policy as unconstitutional. Yan Tian, a Peking University Law School associate professor, said the action defied China’s labor laws, which do not allow companies to inquire about workers’ marital or childbirth plans.
Government Intervention and Policy Withdrawal
When public indignation intensified, the company was inspected on February 13 by the local human resources and social security bureau. The next day, the authorities instructed the company to cancel the policy, saying it broke labor laws. Shuntian Chemical Group asserted that it had canceled the notice and had not dismissed any workers on the basis of their marital status.
A company official later conceded that their strategy was “too simplistic” and that they had misjudged how to promote marriage among staff. The company vowed to enhance its internal management and research applicable laws to avoid such incidents in the future.
China’s Falling Marriage Rates
The scandal points to China’s persistent battle with declining marriage rates. In 2024, the Chinese marriage rate fell to 6.1 million—a 20.5% drop from the year before. This did not stop the nation from recording an increase in birth rates for the first time since 2017, mainly because of cultural desires to give birth in the Year of the Dragon.
To counter declining marriage rates, a few governments at the local level have established incentives. For example, one city in Shanxi province is rewarding couples with 1,500 yuan (US$200) if they get married before they are 35.
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