Beijing's extra maternity leave a welcome move

Obstetric nurses in the Central Hospital of Enshi, Hubei province, take care of newborns at the hospital. [Li Yuanyuan / for China Daily]

FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN BEIJING are now entitled to an extra 30 days maternity leave, according to a revised family planning regulation adopted by the capital on Thursday. Beijing Times said on Friday:

The new regulation, which is based on the revised national Law on Population and Family Planning adopted on Jan 1, said that with the consent of their employers all female employees in Beijing who give birth are entitled to one to three months in addition to the 98 days leave mandated by the national law.

However, many female employees still have concerns about whether their employers will approve the extended leave or not, especially at a time when some of their other legal interests are not sufficiently protected.

Beijing's latest regulation on family planning is praiseworthy as an official pledge to better safeguard women's legal rights. But it is possible that a female worker will be marginalized after her maternity leave, or cold-shouldered during her pregnancy, especially in companies which turn a blind eye to the regulations protecting workers' rights. Not all employers are unreasonable, and many take the labor laws and regulations seriously, but there are some unscrupulous enterprises or those that are facing operational difficulties, who will be reluctant to grant their female workers the extra leave.

In fact, the new maternity leave, which can range from one to three months, leaves enough wiggle room for employees and employers to negotiate. In other words, with the consent of their employers, female employees can have their extra leave, which is designed to "maintain the physical and psychological health of mothers and their babies, considering the burden on the social security fund and employers".

Pregnant employees in developed economies such as the United Kingdom and Germany, enjoy much longer leave of 12 months, so do fathers in some countries.

In the long run, China should not stop short of extending maternity leave and it is also supposed to extend paternity leave and subsidize pregnant women and their spouses during such leave.