A newly passed local regulation in China's southeastern province of Fujian will allow women to inquire about their spouses' property portfolio—starting from June 1. To do so, women can submit valid documents such as ID cards, household registrations, which are official documents that record information about a person's registered permanent residence, and marriage certificates to the local authorities responsible for real estate and vehicle management.

Similar regulations are already in effect in, for example, the cities of Jinan, Shandong Province, and Jiangmen, Guangdong Province. These local regulations aim to enhance the protection of women's rights within marriage. This provision is widely seen as direct support for women, particularly those having to deal with issues of spousal infidelity, divorce or property disputes.

But the regulation does operate on the assumption that husbands typically hold the ultimate authority over family finances and assets. Consequently, women, hereby considered the vulnerable party in a marriage, are advised to remain vigilant to prevent being misled by their husbands and potentially having family assets transferred to unknown locations. In turn, many now argue that the regulation provides women with excessive protection and could lead to injustices against men.

Li Huaxi (China Youth Daily): This regulation has offered powerful legal support for women's property rights and interests in family life. In theory, property acquired by a couple during their marriage is supposed to be jointly owned. In reality, however, due to information asymmetry and gaps in the existing property registration system, women frequently discover themselves uninformed about the full extent of their family's assets.

This lack of transparency ultimately diminishes their control over family property, potentially resulting in economic injustices for women in the event of a marital breakdown. In this sense, the new regulation in Fujian that grants women access to their spouses' property portfolio is not only a practical step toward the better protection of women's rights, but also an improvement of the current family property system.

It basically conveys how women have the right to be informed about and have a role in managing family property, which is their fundamental entitlement as family members. At the same time, this will enhance communication between spouses when it comes to property matters, in turn building trust and understanding between them, and ultimately fostering a more harmonious and stable family dynamic.

Nevertheless, the challenge at hand is to ensure the safeguarding of personal privacy and preventing the misuse of information rights as wives inquire about their husbands' property portfolio. 

Qing Bo (News.chengdu.cn): According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of women in employment reached 320 million in 2022, representing 43.2 percent of the country's total employed population.

While the economic gap between men and women does still exist, it is not as big as many would assume. In many households, it is customary for husbands to hand over their salaries to their wives, who manage the family finances. So it's also possible that sometimes it's the woman who might transfer property out of the family, potentially causing harm.

The protection of women is a core principle society needs to abide by. But when this principle is carried out within individual families, one must take into account that in some families, men do not play a dominant role when it comes to property or finances. And in this sense, the new regulation might prove unfair to them.

Openness and transparency are particularly important for maintaining family harmony. But it is worth considering whether this transparency should be exclusive to women. If not implemented correctly, the regulation may inadvertently escalate tension and foster distrust within families.

Of course, generally speaking, this new regulation does have the public's support and their hope is that both sides in a marriage can receive this kind of protection, without gender discrimination.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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