A pregnant woman in China says her husband is seeking a divorce as he believes their fifth child, which she is carrying, is another girl
A cultural preference for boys persists in China even as the country’s gender imbalance results in more males than females
According to the woman, who is eight months pregnant, her husband moved out of their apartment three months ago and has since refused to pay rent and told her they should divorce “as soon as possible”, Jiupai News reported.
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Hu said she has been with her husband since she was 15 years old and gave birth to their first daughter in 2014 when she was 17 years old.
“My husband said he wanted to divorce me because he thought my belly shape suggests it is a daughter again,” Hu said.
“He said he feared the result as he is the only male child from his big family. He said if I can’t deliver a baby boy for him, he will find another woman to have a son with.”
Hu said she agreed to a divorce as she wanted to get out of the marriage.
“Divorce has both advantages and disadvantages. My daughters and I shall not have to bear abuse from him if we divorce,” said Hu, alleging that her husband often beats her and had an affair while she was pregnant with their second daughter.
She said the couple had agreed that all their children would continue to live with Hu after the divorce and her husband would pay 1,000 yuan (US$140) a month in child support.
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Hu’s story has become one of the top news items trending on mainland social media, receiving five million views on Weibo and six million on Douyin alone with many expressing concern and anger over her alleged treatment by her husband.
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China’s traditional preference for male children over female offspring has resulted in a skewed gender ratio among the country’s population.
Last year, the ratio of newborn boys to girls on the mainland was 108.3 males for every 100 females, down by 9.4 compared with 2012, according to official data. However, the figure is higher than the international level of 103 to 107.
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