The survey shows 57 percent of wives have louder voices than their husbands in deciding daily minor expenditures, while only 13.9 percent of husbands make decisions on daily expenses.

When it comes to bigger items, 24.5 percent of husbands have the upper hand with 7 percent of wives hammer the clinching strike. The couples who make decisions jointly were not included in the percentages.

It is becoming a trend for Chinese wives and husbands to join hands to handle family issues, different from the past male dominance in family decision-making, Tuesday's China Daily reported.

Improvement of women's economic status and education is attributable to the changes, said Chen Aihua, a professor at Southeast University in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

"Women feel more confident and independent, and therefore believe they have the right to make decisions for the family," Chen said.

The survey also indicates 32.6 percent of the sampled Chinese parents hope that their children would be far more successful than their peers, reflecting the competitive nature of the market economy and the country's accession to the World Trade Organization, according to experts.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2002)