介绍:
A member of the Beijing branch of the National People's Congress has suggested that the local government should extend the maternal leave for female employees to three years.
Currently, maternal leave for female employees in China is only 98 days.
According to Wang Yousheng, head of a private enterprise in Beijing, expenses during the three-year maternal leave should be covered by the social security fund.
(QD) Mrs. Shan says on ifeng.com,
I'm totally for this idea. I myself am a new mother just coming back to work. My baby now is just four-month old. He desperately needs me. I can't bear to leave him alone taken care by his grandparents. But I have no better choice. When I was at home, I fed my son multiple times every day, but since I went back to office, I've been so busy every day that my milk has totally gone. Now I can't do breast-feeding anymore, which is the healthiest way to feed a baby. But if I had a three-year maternal leave period, I could feed and take care of my son to the time when he's old enough to be enrolled by a kindergarten, which would be much easier for me.
(JA) While Wu Ling expresses a different point of view on morningpost.com.cn,
In a fast-changing society, staying at home for as long as three years makes no difference from being insulated from the outside world. What can you learn by staying around a baby? I'm afraid by the end of such a maternal leave, one probably couldn't follow the steps in the real world anymore.
(LY) And Suan Xiaoxiao laughs out on news.sina.com.cn,
Are you kidding me? Maternal leave for three years? You must know that lots of private companies nowadays cannot even survive for three years. Having a maternal leave for three years is almost equal to being dismissed.
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Notes:
--Wang Yousheng says the social security fund in Beijing should be totally capable of bearing such a heavy financial burden.
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(QD) On weibo.com, Bai Xiang Bai Xiang is desperate for such a policy,
What a good idea! Three years of maternal leave is long enough for me to have my second baby! Then the maternal leave would be automatically extended to six years! So I can enjoy a paid leave for as long as six years!
(JA) But Wei Yang Wo Long points out on blog.sina.com.cn,
Though it's been emphasized for many years that "men and women are equal" and "women can hold up half of the sky", but in reality, strong sexual discrimination still exists, especially on the job market. Due to the paid maternal leave women have to take, men have become an upper choice for most employers. If the government extended the current 98-day maternal leave to 1,095 days, no one would want to hire women anymore.
(LY) While Mickey KIMI makes her suggestion on news.sohu.com,
Three years is much too long and idealistic. I cannot bear losing my job just because of a maternal leave. I think one year is enough for most mothers and babies. After that the kids can be left to others to be taken care of and we can go to work.
