The legal age of marriage in Macao is lower than that in the Mainland. Why?

As a special administrative region of China, Macau is one of the earliest special administrative regions to implement reform and opening up. Chinese mainland's Marriage Law clearly stipulates the legal age of marriage for men and women, while Macau, as a special administrative region of China, has its own legal provisions on marriage for men and women. The legal age of marriage in Macao is lower than that in the Mainland. Why? What's his background?

The legal age of marriage in Macao is a legal requirement that citizens of the Macao Special Administrative Region must abide by if they want to register for marriage. This is not a suggested age for marriage, nor is it a mandatory age for marriage. This is the minimum age limit. People below this age cannot legally register for marriage, while citizens above this age have the right to freely choose the time of marriage. According to the legal age of marriage in Macao, minors over the age of 16 and under the age of 18 must obtain the consent of their parents or guardians and produce certificates and relevant documents before they can obtain a legal marriage certificate. Adults over eighteen have the freedom to decide their own marriage. This is different from the legal age of marriage in Chinese mainland. In Chinese mainland, it is stipulated that men must be at least 22 years old and women must be at least 20 years old to obtain a legal marriage certificate. So why is the legal age of marriage in Macao so low? What are the related factors?

1. Macao was colonized by Portugal for a period of time, and one country, two systems was implemented after China recovered it. That is to say, Macao can have its own regional laws on the basis of observing the Constitution, and the Marriage Law stipulates that people who have reached the age of 16 can get married, which is also influenced by the Portuguese Marriage Law. The legal age for marriage in Portugal is 16 years old. Therefore, the legal age of marriage in Macao is different from that in the Mainland.

Second, Macao, as one of the earliest special zones to implement reform and opening up, has an avant-garde concept among the citizens, especially the young people, who have a high degree of acceptance of freedom of marriage. Therefore, it is also a reasonable regulation to adjust measures to local conditions if the legal age of marriage exceeds 16.

3. Macao is a very prosperous port city, with a huge population flow, a large number of foreign immigrants and a large number of foreigners settling in the area. In order to reconcile the complicated population distribution, the legal age of marriage in Macao is relatively loose.

From this point of view, the legal age of marriage in Macao is in line with the historical and current development situation. We can also see that different regions should comprehensively consider historical, demographic, economic and other factors to meet the needs of most people as much as possible. Young people in Macao will also be more free to choose their marriage age and have more time to consider and decide their future life partners.