A marriage of convenience can sometimes be happier and more stable than one based on love alone.

And nearly 115,000 women who have come to Shanghai from other parts of the country and started families with local men say they are satisfied with their marriages.

But they say they often experience problems with unemployment and poverty.

The results come from a survey conducted by the Shanghai Women's Federation, which interviewed some 550 women, most of whom come from the country's rural areas and who have been married to Shanghai men for about eight years.

The survey suggests that nearly 70 percent of them got married because they wanted to stay in Shanghai, following suggestions from their families.

More than 73 percent of the women tied the knot less than 18 months after being introduced to their future husbands by relatives or friends.

The average age difference between the husband and wife is 7.68 years, with the maximum gap standing at 23 years.

Only 10 percent of the husbands have been to college. They also experience slightly higher unemployment rates than the average.

More than 87 percent of the women said they are happy with their marriages.

Some 80 percent of interviewees said they enjoyed good relations with their husbands, and their relatives are very supportive of their new lives.

More than 40 percent of families with a wife from outside the city have a monthly income lower than 900 yuan (US$109).

More than 50 percent of the couples have to live with the husbands' parents or siblings because they cannot afford to buy their own homes.

About 65 percent of the women who have an average education of less than nine years do not currently have a job.

More than 54 percent of wives can go back to their hometowns and visit their families at least once a year.

And one-third of them invite their relatives to their homes in Shanghai at least once a year.

(China Daily June 14, 2005)