产假延长，女性为何忧心？

You'd think offering mothers of newborns more paid time off would be music to the ears of those planning to have a family one day, but not all women have welcomed moves by China's provinces to extend paid maternity leave. 你可能觉得，延长新生儿母亲带薪休假时间，对于准备组成家庭的人来说是佳音。然而并非所有女性都欢迎中国部分省延长产假的改变。 Since 2012, Chinese women have been entitled to at least 98 days of paid maternity leave. But since the introduction of the two-child policy at the start of last year, 30 provinces keen to lift the birth rate in their boundaries now require employers to go above and beyond that, resulting in a patchwork of incentives for new parents across China. 自2012年起，国务院规定在职妇女产假不得少于98天。但是自从去年年初，二孩政策放开，30个省都希望提高出生率，于是要求企业提供更长的产假，在全国范围内形成奖励新任父母的机制。 Tibet Autonomous Region is set to become the most generous in the country, granting mothers a whole year at home with their newborn. Fathers would also be able to access 30 days paid leave. 西藏自治区产假最长，妈妈有一年的时间在家陪伴新生儿。爸爸也有30天的带薪休假。 That overtakes Guandong's 208 days which was previously China's longest, and is up there with the best in the world. 广东省208天的产假曾是中国最长的产假，现已被西藏超越，同时一年的时长已经几乎达到世界之最。 Sweden is often mentioned as the model in this area, granting the primary carer 56 weeks of paid time off to be taken any time in the child's first eight years. The time can be shared between either parent. 瑞典一向被誉为此方面的典范，在孩子八岁之前，可以随时享受共56周的带薪休假。这56周时间可由父母双方共享。 At the other end of the scale, the United States is one of four countries that doesn't have paid maternity leave with the idea dismissed as a job killer. 美国则是另一个极端，是四个没有产假的国家之一，产后休息成为就业杀手。 During the presidential campaign Donald Trump floated a six-week paid maternity leave scheme that was typically light on in detail. Surprise, surprise, there's been little talk of it since he stepped into the oval office. 在竞选期间，特朗普提出六个星期带薪休假的政策，这种政策通常会止步于细节问题，但令人惊讶的是在特朗普上任后，这个问题几乎再未被提起。 In the middle is Britain which guarantees mothers 39 weeks' paid leave and Australia mandates 18 weeks. 处于中等水平的是英国的39周假期和澳大利亚的18周。 While the benefits of supporting parents to spend more time with their child in the first months of their life are well-documented, governments mandating paid maternity leave tend to be more focused on economic matters. China is one of many countries grappling with an ageing population and the worrying effect that will have on the workforce, healthcare costs and taxes. When the birth rate dropped to record lows in Australia a decade ago, the then Treasurer famously implored couples: "You should have one for the father, one for the mother and one for the country." 虽然有充分的证据证明鼓励父母在孩子出生的第一个月多陪孩子大有好处，但是政府确保产假更多处于经济考虑。中国是遭遇人口老龄化问题的许多国家之一，由此带来的劳动力、医疗和税收问题也让人十分头痛。十年前，澳大利亚的出生率跌至谷底，政府提出一个著名的口号恳求夫妇多生育：“一个为妈妈，一个为爸爸，再有一个为国家。” Inserting national duty into family planning only goes so far, easing the economic burden of another mouth to feed is more effective. 将国家责任植入家庭计划成效有限，从其他方面入手减轻经济负担更加有效。 But rather than celebrating China's progress in this area, it appears some women are worried. 但是，部分女性没有庆祝中国在此方面的进步，而是另有担忧。 On social media platform Weibo commenters expressed concern that it would put women at a disadvantage in the workforce. Another 26-year-old woman commented that she was "often asked if I have a boyfriend and if I am planning to get married in the near future during interviews with employers”. 社交平台微博的评论表达了她们的担忧，延长的产假可能会造成女性在用人市场的劣势。另一个26岁的女性评论道她“经常在面试中被问及是否有男友，近期是否有结婚打算。” Demographer He Yafu has suggested the government offer subsidies to enterprises that hire female workers to ease the burden caused when they have children. While that might work, government's shouldn't have to pay a company not to discriminate against women. Getting the best person for the job should be motivation enough and if not, governments should focus more on changing employers attitudes and clamping down on gender discrimination. 人口学家何亚福建议政府给予雇佣女性的企业以补贴，从而减轻女性生育后为企业带来的负担。虽然这项建议可能有效，但是政府不应该因企业不歧视女性而给予补贴。寻找最适合岗位的人应该具有高度积极性，如若不然，政府应该更注重改变企业的态度，抑制性别歧视。