BEIJING - More couples separated by work or study are filing for divorce due to loneliness and infidelity.

A study on the dissolution of "international marriages", a term used for when one partner lives overseas or is an expat, found more couples are cracking under the pressure.

Divorce cases rose from 23 in 2009 to 35 last year, with 48 of the total initiated in another country or by a foreigner, according to new research by Beijing's Fengtai district court.

Although international marriages include couples involving a husband or wife from overseas or Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macao, judge Yang Zheng said the problem is particularly acute among Chinese couples in long-distance relationships.

"A new life abroad can offer the promise of living out a wonderful fantasy, of being in a romantic novel or an adventure movie," said Alfred Chambers, a psychologist at Beijing United Family Hospital.

"However, fantasies and dreams can all evaporate because leaving schools, jobs and family and friends behind can create huge pressures."

Infidelity either prompted or exacerbated by loneliness is also playing a huge part in ripping couples apart.

"A majority of the relationship problems I see in my office have infidelity as one of the factors. Either this behavior has caused the difficulty or only highlighted ongoing problems that have been around for a while," said Chambers.

Speaking more specifically about expats in China, he added: "Many people ask why this (infidelity) is such a common occurrence and I suggest that for hundreds of years the male expat experience in Asia has carried an erotic undertone that continues today. If that is combined with ongoing strain within a marriage it's a dangerous mix."

Compared with divorce rates of 40 to 50 percent in most Western countries, Chambers said the rate is "no doubt higher here, given the extra strain on relationships".

The court's research also shows that one party in an international marriage usually has a high education level, high income and high career targets. "About 90 percent of people in international Marriages who filed for divorce in the last two years held important positions in well-known companies," said judge Yang. "They have high incomes but invest little in the family."

She added that Chinese judges find it more difficult to hear divorce cases involving international couples because it takes longer to get the necessary documents and evidence, while "foreigners usually don't attend sessions, so it's hard to know their real intentions".

Domestic litigants also often have problems collecting evidence and financial details on parties living abroad, which means they could miss out when their assets are divided.

China Daily