Annual meetings discuss changes to maternity leave designed to tackle gender inequality

Women's rights are one of the key issues under discussion at the ongoing two sessions.

The Government Work Report, delivered on Tuesday by Premier Li Keqiang, stated that the government will resolutely prevent and protect against gender inequality and identity discrimination in the workplace.

"In response to the new demands created by the full implementation of the second-child policy, we will move faster to develop various types of infant and child care services, such as encouraging private entities to run child and early childhood education agencies," the report said.

Huang Yuguang, a physician at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and a member of the National Committee of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, proposed that major employers should provide low-cost child care facilities.

"To relieve the child care burden on working mothers, and encourage the birth of their second child, businesses and institutions that employ large numbers of women of childbearing age should set up specific funds to establish nurseries," he said.

"Also, the central government needs to set aside funds to support companies and help them deal with young parents' child care concerns."

To reduce gender inequity, Xie Dong, a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee from Shanghai, proposed that fathers should share maternity leave, rather than simply allowing mothers to take the entire allocation.

"Despite the good intention of allowing mothers an extended period of rest after giving birth, the policy doesn't take employment discrimination into consideration. Long-term maternity leave for women raises labor costs for businesses, which makes it more difficult for mothers to keep their jobs," she said in a Xinmin Evening News report on Wednesday.

Xie added that the current law allows women to take at least 98 days of maternity leave. However, new fathers are only allocated about 15 days, and sometimes a mere three days, by their employers, suggesting that some men or their companies do not think it necessary to take extended leave to care for their wives and children.

"I think legislation should be passed so men would have to take mandatory maternity leave for, say, 40 days, so they could shoulder more responsibility and ease the burden on their wives," she said.

Wang Xiaodong contributed to this story.