Liu Daguo, 69, invited family members to his home in Chongqing last month. In a traditional Chinese ceremony, Mr. Liu, a retiree who lost his wife 32 years ago, exchanged vows and “married” his new life partner in every sense of the word -- except the legal one.

    The Lius are not alone in choosing not to officially register their union with the local marriage bureau. Often thought of as an exclusive practice of young, liberal-minded Chinese, cohabitation is catching on among the older generation in China.

    Observers estimate that between 20 and 50 percent of elderly people looking for a partner end up living together without marrying. According to official population statistics, as many as 480,000 couples over the age of 60 in China are living together without legal papers.

    Older Chinese who have lost their spouses often remarry for companionship and financial stability. Unlike their younger counterparts, they often face major obstacles to wedded bliss.

    Many cite social stigma and strong objections from their respective offspring, who fear a fight over inheritance. Others are discouraged by a high chance of divorce. Most spend less time getting to know each other before tying the knot, which increases the chances of divorce. They fall ill more easily, all of which can raise the level of tension in the relationship.

    While sympathetic to these elderly couples, analysts say the trend is unhealthy and needs to be arrested. Their key objection is that the rights of the new “spouses” are not legally safeguarded. Women are more vulnerable in such relationships, as they tend to be less financially secure, said Peking University sociologist Mu Guangcong.

    If either partner dies or falls ill, his or her respective children could sell off their home and possessions, leaving the unregistered spouse without a roof over his or her head, noted Wang Xiaoyan, founder of Community Alliance, one of China’s largest non-profit groups set up to help the elderly. “We need to change the mindsets of their children and of society at large, so they become more understanding of the needs of older people who want to register their remarriages,” she added.

    Source: The Straits Times

    老人“非婚同居”现象须叫停

       上个月，重庆69岁的老人刘大国(音)请来了家人。刘的妻子32年前去世了。刘以传统的中国庆祝方式和他的新伴侣“结婚”了——只不过不是法律意义上的那种结婚。

      刘并非惟一选择不踏入民政局正式登记结婚的老人。同居这种通常被人们认为是思想解放的年轻人之选择，现在在中国老一代人当中开始流行起来。

      观察家估计，中国大约有20%到50%的老年恋人选择住在一起而不是正式结婚。根据官方人口数据，有48万对年龄在60岁以上的老年恋人非婚同居。

      在中国，失去另一半的老人再婚通常是出于相互陪伴和保障经济稳定的目的。但与年轻人相比，他们再婚通常面临着重重障碍。

      很多老人的子女反对他们再婚，因为担心出现遗产继承的纷争，老年人离婚率之高也让一些人不看好自家老人再婚。大多数老年人再婚前没有足够时间了解对方，这就增加了离婚的几率。他们通常容易生病，这都会使关系出现紧张。

      然而分析家指出，尽管很同情这些老人的遭遇，但这种趋势是不健康的，必须叫停。他们反对的主要原因是:新“伴侣”的权益得不到法律的保障。北京大学社会学家穆光聪说，女性在这样一种关系中通常更容易受伤害，因为她们在经济上得到的保障较少。

      中国有一个保护老年人权益的名为“众益伙伴”的民间公益组织，其创建者王霄燕女士说，如果任何一方伴侣死亡或者病倒，他或她的孩子可以卖掉他们的房屋和财产，让没有法律保障的那个人无处立足，“我们需要改变老人子女乃至整个社会的思维方式，这样他们才能以更宽容的方式理解老年人希望登记再婚的需要”。