Extension of Maternity Leave and Inclusive Childcare... China's Maternity Support Policy System has been preliminarily established to support | Policy | China
Today is World Population Day, and the theme of China has been set as "Promoting Gender Equality and Protecting Maternal and Child Health.". The National Health Commission has issued a notice requiring all regions to actively implement and optimize fertility policies and establish a sound system of fertility support policies. In recent years, various regions have actively promoted the introduction of birth support measures, and currently, China's birth support policy system has been preliminarily established.
The relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission introduced that various regions have adjusted and optimized the leadership mechanisms related to population and childbirth, and more than half of the provinces have provincial governors as the leaders of the leadership groups. Each province, district, and city shall revise the Population and Family Planning Regulations and formulate an implementation plan to implement the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Optimizing Maternity Policies and Promoting Long term Balanced Population Development.
Maternity leave has been extended to over 158 days in all provinces
Each province generally sets up extended maternity leave of more than 60 days, spouse paternity leave of about 15 days, and parental leave of 5-20 days. The maternity leave in each province is extended to more than 158 days. Half of the provinces provide maternity allowances for the extended maternity leave. For example, in provinces such as Zhejiang, Henan, and Ningxia, the extended maternity leave period is covered by maternity insurance to pay maternity allowances. Beijing stipulates that if a woman voluntarily reduces or extends her maternity leave, the man can enjoy an increase in the corresponding number of days of paternity leave.
Carry out inclusive childcare services and childcare construction in various regions
According to the requirements of the 14th Five Year Plan, various regions will carry out special actions for inclusive childcare services and childcare construction projects, and carry out the creation of national demonstration cities for infant and child care services. Support eligible kindergartens to establish daycare classes and employers to provide childcare services for employees. Zhejiang is piloting the inclusion of childcare services into basic public services in 17 counties. Fujian adopts the method of "pre allocation for the current year and settlement for the following year", and arranges a subsidy of 150 million yuan for 15000 new pallets. For four consecutive years, Jiangsu will add inclusive childcare institutions as a practical matter for the provincial government's livelihood, and establish 91 provincial-level demonstration childcare institutions. Starting from 2022, the country will include the cost of caring for infants and young children under the age of 3 in the special additional deduction of personal income tax, which will be deducted according to the standard of 1000 yuan per child per month. Starting from reality, various regions are exploring the implementation of policies such as maternity allowances and childcare subsidies, and implementing support measures such as offering housing purchase discounts, increasing housing provident fund withdrawals, and loan quotas for families with multiple children.
Lack of care for infants and young children is one of the important factors hindering fertility
The relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission introduced that the current population development in China is showing a trend of fewer children, aging, and regional population growth and decline differentiation. Surveys have shown that the lack of care for infants and young children is one of the important factors hindering fertility. Developing childcare services for children aged 0-3 has a significant role in improving fertility intentions.
With the implementation of the three child policy, "who will take care of the child" has become a difficult problem faced by many families, with insufficient supply of universal childcare and high childcare prices receiving much attention.
By 2025, the number of childcare units per thousand people will increase from 2.5 to 4.5
The relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission introduced that China has successively issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Care Services for Infants and Young Children under the Age of 3, proposing the basic principles, key tasks, support policies, and guarantee measures for the development of childcare services. From 2020 to 2023, the government has allocated a total of 3.6 billion yuan from the central budget to build 48 comprehensive childcare service centers at or above the prefecture level. As of the end of 2022, there are approximately 75000 childcare service institutions nationwide, providing approximately 3.5 million childcare facilities, with approximately 2.5 childcare facilities per thousand population.
Yang Wenzhuang, Director of the Population Monitoring and Family Development Department of the National Health Commission, stated that the government should fully play its leading role, increase support for various childcare service institutions, focus on expanding the supply of inclusive childcare services, help childcare institutions reduce operating costs, lower childcare prices, and enable families with infants and young children in need to afford and use them. Strengthen dynamic supervision, ensure the improvement of service quality, and maintain the bottom line of safety and health. Encourage social forces to actively participate and ensure that the number of childcare units per thousand population in China reaches 4.5 by 2025.
According to a survey, the number of infants and young children under the age of 3 in China currently exceeds 32 million, with an annual increase of about 10 million. More than one-third of households in cities have a demand for childcare, which is even stronger in developed regions and first tier cities. In the future, China will further establish and improve a policy system for supporting childbirth, vigorously develop a universal childcare service system, and significantly reduce the burden of family fertility and parenting education.
Nanjing: Developing inclusive childcare and nurturing the "softest group"
The high-quality development of the population is ultimately a problem of human growth and development. Infants and young children aged 0-3 are the "softest group" in society. Before 2022, many regions in China's 0-3 year old childcare service industry are in a policy gap period, with an overall shortage of infant and young child care services and uneven quality of childcare institutions. This year, the National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission selected 33 cities as the first batch of national demonstration cities for infant and child care services, and issued relevant policies to support and encourage the development of inclusive childcare. The reporter recently followed the National Health Commission to Nanjing, one of the demonstration cities in Jiangsu Province, to conduct research and see some new paths they are exploring in the field of "child rearing".
Thirteen month old Haha started daycare at a childcare center at four and a half months old. Her mother, Xia Yi, born in the 1990s, tried various childcare modes such as monthly sister-in-law and elderly care after taking maternity leave, but none of them were satisfactory. When Xia Yi was anxious about taking care of Haha, she found out that the childcare center introduced in the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Research and Innovation Park, where she worked, could take care of children under 3 years old. She walked only three to four hundred meters from her workplace and with a try out attitude, Xia Yi sent her children in.
90s Mom Xia Yi: We can basically choose to come to work after taking maternity leave and bring our children along. When Haha first arrived, she sometimes felt uneasy and would come over to take a look. It was very convenient, and Haha took her for a physical examination at different ages during her growth process. The various indicators of the examination were really excellent. As a parent, you must be happy and proud in your heart. You just think that I made the right choice, which is really good. It's really heartfelt to have such thoughts.
Haha's little friend Duomi arrived at this childcare center at the age of 15 months, which is also 6 months. Her mother Wu Xia gave birth to her third daughter Duomi at an advanced age after the three child policy was introduced. Her eldest daughter and second son are 17 years old and over 4 years old, respectively. Although she had three children, Wu Xia did not give up her career and quickly resumed work. Her second son and third daughter were both enrolled in this childcare center.
Duomi's mother Wu Xia: Every time she opens a book by herself, she can read it by herself, and the teacher always says she's a primary school bully. Recently, I have noticed that her self-care ability is also changing. After school, she takes her shoes and hands them over to the teacher. After opening the cabinet and taking them, she sits down on her own. Every time we come to pick her up, I feel deeply moved by her daily changes.
The Jiangbei New Area Research and Innovation Park has gathered thousands of high-tech companies and tens of thousands of industrial populations since 2016. The common characteristics of these staff are high education and youthfulness. In order to address their concerns, the government of Jiangbei New Area has specifically introduced this childcare center. At the beginning of its establishment, the park waived 5 years of rent, and after 5 years, it can also enjoy discounts on rent and other aspects.
Ye Ling from the Comprehensive Management Department of Jiangbei New Area Research and Innovation Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province: We made a very correct decision at the beginning, so nurturing has indeed helped many young people working in the park solve a lot of worries. We will help some private childcare institutions actively connect with relevant policies of the province, city, and country, and help them alleviate some pressure.
In the past two years, the childcare center in the R&D Park has applied to become a provincial-level and municipal level inclusive childcare institution. After the government subsidized the childcare center, the center then fed back these subsidies to parents. Now, the childcare center's childcare fee has decreased to 2700 yuan per month, with a certain increase for infants under the age of 1, about 3100 yuan.
Chen Ling, the person in charge of the childcare center of Jiangbei New Area Research and Innovation Park: For us, the biggest pressure to run a childcare park comes from our personnel costs and rent costs, which are like the two mountains above our heads. Now the park has given us a lot of support, reducing the pressure on us from rent. Therefore, paying for our personnel costs is enough to operate, so we have also lowered our expenses and provided universal benefits to more parents and families aged 0 to 3.
Nanjing has also established a comprehensive childcare service center at the municipal level, responsible for the management, supervision, and training of health care in childcare institutions throughout the city. A service management platform for 0-3-year-old infant and toddler childcare institutions has been established, and employee information, child information, and parent information of private institutions have been included in the platform. Some video devices of childcare institutions are also connected to the platform, allowing for real-time supervision. Jiangsu Province has established a provincial-level special subsidy fund for inclusive childcare, with a cumulative fiscal investment of over 150 million yuan. In 2022, the province will provide a one-time subsidy of over 20 million yuan to childcare institutions.
