Maternity welfare needs support

A Chinese mom shops for diapers while carrying her baby in a supermarket in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Jan 23.[Photo/IC]

There will no longer be any legal obstacle to the implementation of a universal two-child policy, if the draft amendment to the family planning law is approved by the top legislature by Sunday.

The proposed amendment, which is expected to come into force on Jan 1, contains a clause stipulating extended maternity leave and other welfare for couples having children. These are expected to boost the willingness of some couples to have a second child. Many couples have expressed reluctance to have a second child because of the high costs of bringing-up two children and the prejudice they anticipate from employers.

How the longer maternity leave policy is implemented is up to local governments to decide. Specific and legally-binding measures should be worked out at the national level to ensure the policy is carried out and properly enforced to ensure that women are not discriminated against by employers obsessed with minimizing their labor costs.

Surveys indicate that a majority of women suffer or have suffered gender prejudice when looking for a job, because employers do not want to grant maternity leave. To avoid possible gender discrimination from employers as a result of their entitlement to maternity leave and increase their employment competitiveness, some female job seekers have reportedly chosen to get married and have their children before graduating from universities.

To ease women's concerns following the implementation of the two-child policy, the country should put in place more explicit regulations banning discrimination against women. These could include requiring companies to have a certain percentage of female employees, as well as tax cuts or other preferential measures to encourage employers to effectively implement the extended maternity leave regulation for female workers.