Mom strives to achieve work-life balance

Deeper understanding

Her understanding grew when had her second son, Yixia, in 2018. More children meant more financial pressure, while hanging out with full-time moms and nannies limited her mental horizons. "Even if you can access all the information through your phone, you are isolated from the world," she said. As a result, Wang felt an urgent need to return to work.

Her husband, Li Yuan, remembers a serious quarrel in 2019. He didn't understand why Wang wasn't interested in communicating when he returned from work, and they ended up arguing.

"I felt our relationship had become fragile, and we were both responsible for that," Li said.

Now, seeing his wife apply makeup, dress and head to work every morning, he feels that she is alive again, he said.

It wasn't easy to find a job, though, as Wang had little working experience. Instead, after a family discussion, she decided that the best option would be to gain a master's and return to the employment market with the extra qualification.

While pregnancy, the COVID-19 epidemic and being a full-time mother of two made it tough for her to gain her master's, and the most difficult time was right before graduation.

When Wang gave birth to her third son early last year, the third-child policy had not been introduced, so she broke the law. Not only did she have to pay a fine－about three times her annual salary－but she became ineligible to work for State-owned companies and public institutions.

Wang clearly remembers the day the third-child policy was announced－May 31 last year－as it was Youxia's first birthday. "Many friends sent me a screenshot of the news, and it felt like a birthday gift for my son," she said.

On a recent sunny Sunday, Wang and her husband took their two older boys to street dancing classes as usual. The weekend is their family time, which Wang cherishes and always guarantees.

Watching her sons dancing and laughing, she smiled. "It's very simple－my goal is to earn more money and gain a higher position in the company," she said.