The entry of good family custom into the Civil Code can effectively resolve the contradiction between the unique socialization requirements of marriage and family law, and its relative lack of socialization after being incorporated into the Civil Code. Good family custom clauses can effectively reflect the ethics of marriage and family law by introducing the family's dominant position in identity law, clarifying the scope and source of public order for judging the legitimacy of behavior in family relations, and checking and balancing the property-law tendency of marriage and family law. The effects of the good family custom clause include the organization effect aimed at regulating family power, social power and state power, and the advocating effect for promoting moral education. However, its core lies in its behavioral normative effect for guiding the judicial process and its referee normative effect. In terms of specific application, we should focus on realizing the normative function of good family custom clauses, including proving the relationship between guardian's “losing control and education” and external damage caused by family members, balancing the family stability and personal freedom value, limiting the seeking of improper property interests by means of identity behavior, and creating independent legal interests based on good family custom, etc.
ZHANG Li.
Normative Effect of Good Family Custom Clauses in Marriage and Family Compilation of Civil Code in China. Jinan Journal. 2022, 44(3): 107-120