Summary of the Key Points
This article discusses how marriage is no longer a tool for transferring debts: The amount of overdue consumer loans among women aged 20-35 has doubled, with funds being spent on non-essential purchases such as cosmetic surgery and luxury goods. In the past, some people hoped to rely on marriage to have their spouses cover their debts, but now the law is clear that pre-marital debts must be repaid by the individual. Families of the groom will conduct financial screenings (checking credit reports and bills). The practice of borrowing from multiple sources to make up for deficits can easily lead to financial crises. The article concludes that the function of marriage in debt transfer has been dismantled by market rationality (transparent information and credit pricing), and those with debts must take responsibility and cut back on unnecessary expenses.
1. Marriage is Not a Debt Shield: The Law Has Already Blocked This Path
Many people think that getting married means their spouse will help them pay off debts, but this is a misunderstanding of the law. Marriage laws clearly state that pre-marital debts are personal liabilities, and spouses are not obligated to repay them unless they voluntarily sign as guarantors (making them joint debts). For example, in one case mentioned in the article, a marriage proposal was canceled after the groom discovered that the bride had 370,000 yuan in online loans during their three-year engagement. Data from the Judicial Case Database shows that disputes over the repayment of pre-marital debts have nearly tripled since 2023, and courts have consistently ruled that the debtor must repay the debt themselves. Marriage is not a center for debt restructuring; trying to shift responsibilities through marriage simply won’t work.
2. Bridal Gifts Cannot Cover Consumer Loan Deficits: They Are Intergenerational Funds That Need to Be Audited
Although the amount of bridal gifts in Jiangsu and Zhejiang may seem high (ranging from 280,000 to 380,000 yuan), 60% of it is merely a formality. The money given by the groom is used by the bride for down payments or child-rearing within her own family, essentially serving as start-up capital for the new household, not as personal spending money for the bride. More importantly, families of the groom now conduct financial screenings, checking credit reports, Alipay transaction records, and even the frequency of Meituan orders (excessive luxury purchases are flagged as risks). Marriage agencies consider the absence of significant hidden debts to be one of the top three criteria for choosing a partner, which is even more important than having a house or a car. Trying to use bridal gifts to cover consumer loan gaps is impossible; their financial situation is already thoroughly investigated.
3. Borrowing from Multiple Partners in a Leverage Game Is Bound to Fail
The article provides two extreme examples: One person maintains a sophisticated lifestyle by having both partners pay for expenses (one pays the rent, the other repays credit cards), while using their own salary; another lives with one partner during weekdays and stays at a luxury hotel with another on weekends. This is like engaging in high-leverage transactions, costing 12,000 to 18,000 yuan per month just to maintain this image. Two partners might cover the expenses, but three would be needed for a surplus, and the management complexity increases (e.g., keeping track of confusing dates and potential exposures). The “age window period” is also critical: consumer loans have terms of 12-36 months, but the value of a sophisticated image in the dating market declines faster than the loan repayment period. Once this image collapses, no one will be interested in taking on the debts, leading to a complete financial collapse.
4. Don’t Pretend You Can Afford It: The Right Approach to Stopping Losses Is to Cut Back
The article offers three practical suggestions:
1. Stop Leveraging: Stop borrowing new money to pay off old debts (e.g., using a new loan to cover the minimum payment of an existing one); this only makes the problem worse (debits often start small and can grow significantly).
2. Cut Down on Image Maintenance Expenses: Cut the budget for showing off in social media and apps like REDnote to zero; these are not assets but costly habits that devalue quickly.
3. Be Patient with Credit Repair: Late payment records remain for five years, but if you have a steady income and repay small loans on time, credit agencies will gradually rebuild trust in you. There is no shortcut; you must reduce expenses to cover the gaps.
5. Marriage Has Become a Financial Screening Process: Market Rationality Has Shattered Illusions
In the past, we viewed marriage as a safe haven from debts, but now with transparent information and screenings by intermediaries, any attempt to transfer debts through marriage will be punished by the market (e.g., through breakups or rejection). This isn’t the market “alienating” marriage; it’s just revealing its true nature. Marriage has always been a financial contract, and when both parties start to make rational decisions, the path for debt transfer is blocked.
The core message of this article is that consumerism leads young people to accumulate debts, hoping to rely on marriage to cover them. However, laws, market forces, and transparency are breaking this illusion, forcing everyone to take responsibility for their own financial obligations.