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Phoebe Zhang

The problems working mothers face have become an increasingly hot issue around the world, and China is no exception.
More than eight out of 10 professional women who took part in a recent survey in China said they believed that giving birth had affected their chances of getting a promotion, and 30 per cent said they had tried to hide their pregnancy for as long as possible in case they were replaced.
Nine out of 10 of those surveyed said they had been asked about their plans for motherhood during job interviews even though this is illegal.
They also complained that their families were not giving them the support they needed and were struggling with work-life balance.

“I never thought one day I would become a full-time mom, but it actually happened,” said one woman, who was looking to get back to work after spending three years at home.
The survey, for which more than 8,000 professional women were questioned, found that 48 per cent took at least a year off work after giving birth, with one in five becoming stay-at-home moms for several years.
Can tech-hub city improve China’s work-life balance?
A third of the mothers admitted that their priorities had changed after giving birth, but just under 40 per cent said they had little choice but to stay at home because the fathers were too busy at work.
Only half of the women say their families seriously discussed solutions, while 30 per cent said their families told them “you think too much, the issues will be solved naturally once you have the child”.
Chinese women are legally entitled to at least four months’ maternity leave, during which time employers cannot fire them or cut their salaries.

Men are also entitled to at least a week’s paternity leave, but more than half the women questioned said new fathers did not take all their available leave, and 20 per cent said they were not able to take any time off at all.
Women who did try to return to work reported a number of problems, including tiredness and a sense they had fallen behind and were struggling to catch up in the country‘s notoriously demanding workplace culture.
Last year the South Korean movie Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, which depicted a woman’s battle against discrimination as she tried to juggle work and family life, triggered a fierce battle about sexism. The film was based on a bestselling 2016 novel of the same name, which has been hailed as one of the most important Korean feminist works.

In China, faced with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, the government rolled out measures in 2018 to help working mothers, including subsidies for second children and extended maternity leave.
But many companies still view parenthood as a problem, and several Chinese women have filed lawsuits against their employers for dismissing them or cutting their salary after they became pregnant.

In 2017, a woman in Beijing who was sacked while pregnant won a groundbreaking workplace discrimination case against her former employer, China Railway Logistics.
The survey of 8,629 working women was carried out by the consulting and recruitment site Boss Zhipin.


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Children in China

Working mothers in China lack support from employers – and their own families

A Chinese mother resting with her daughter while shopping. Photo: AFP

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982

A job seeker (L) interacts with a hiring official of a company during a career fair in Zhengzhou, China's Henan province on July 25, 2020. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP) (Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFPCREDIT: AFP

A woman walks outside an office building in Beijing on July 15, 2020. (Photo by WANG ZHAO / AFP)CREDIT: AFP

A group of Chinese mothers go shopping with their children at a furniture store in Beijing. A survey has highlighted the problems working mothers face in China. Photo: AFP

Why children in some countries are taller than in others: diet and environment bigger factors than genetics, study finds

The economic development in China in the past four decades has reduced childhood malnutrition. Photo: Getty Images

1985,  China - : girl is doing her schoolwork .Rapid economic growth in China has led to major improvements in quality of life and, according to a recent study, schoolchildren in China have achieved significant gains in height over the past 35 years as a result.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

BEIJING, CHINA - 1995/02/01: A child poses for a photo next to a Ronald McDonald statue outside of a large McDonald's restaurant.. Emerging economies, which include China and South Korea, have seen the biggest gains in childrenÕs height. In many countries in sub-Saharan African, however, the height of children has stagnated or even dropped.CREDIT: GETY IMAGES

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 26, 2018: Girls wearing ethnic costumes seen in a street. Overall, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some Central Asian countries, and boys in Central and western Europe, had the healthiest changes in body growth status over the past three-and-a-half decades because they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

Emerging economies, including China, have seen the biggest gains in children’s height. Photo: Getty Images

Stillbirth: project to reduce number of stillborn babies in Southeast Asia is helping parents have healthy pregnancies

Doctor examining belly of expectant mother in hospital room. Thailand. CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

Handout image shows Deanna and Tim Lim with their daughters Natalie and Emilee. In 2016 the Singaporean couple lost their son Nathaniel. He was stillborn when Deanna was 39 weeks.  On February 2, 2016, Deanna Lim and her husband Tim made their way to hospital. The young Singaporean couple - Deanna was 30, Tim 29 - was excited about the birth of their first child but also a little anxious. At 4.35pm that day Nathaniel, via caesarean section, was stillborn, defined as a baby born with no signs of life. He weighed 2.5kg. The following day the couple, along with a small group of family and friends, attended his funeral. There was no explanation for his death. The couple declined an autopsy.[13NOVEMBER2020 FEATURES]CREDIT: Courtesy Deanna Lim

Handout image shows a bunch of flowers for Nathaniel, the son of Deanna and Tim Lim who was stillborn on February 2, 2016. On February 2, 2016, Deanna Lim and her husband Tim made their way to hospital. The young Singaporean couple - Deanna was 30, Tim 29 - was excited about the birth of their first child but also a little anxious. At 4.35pm that day Nathaniel, via caesarean section, was stillborn, defined as a baby born with no signs of life. He weighed 2.5kg. The following day the couple, along with a small group of family and friends, attended his funeral. There was no explanation for his death. The couple declined an autopsy.[13NOVEMBER2020 FEATURES]CREDIT: Courtesy Deanna Lim

Pregnant woman sleeping on her side in a bed.  To avoid still births, it is importance for m others to sleep on their side (Asianparent encourages this through social media campaigns such as #SleeponSide), counting baby kicks, deterring women from smoking while pregnant and supporting parents through their recovery process,CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

TheAsianparent’s Project Sidekicks says that up to 30 per cent of stillbirths may be prevented if babies’ movements are tracked and results acted upon. Photo: Getty Images

The issues cross-cultural teens and third culture kids face, and how to deal with them

Cross-cultural teens may experience unresolved grief from the loss of their home, school and friends, but can also develop fluency in multiple languages and a deep understanding of different cultures. Photo: Getty Images

Daughter Emma de Jong and her mother Ming Chen, during 2019 on Emmaâs 16th birthday at The Clipper Lounge, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.[FEATURES] Photo / Handout

Elijah Jacob.[FEATURES] Photo / HANDOUT

Rosanna Herrera [FEATURES] Photo / HANDOUT

Cross-cultural teens who have relocated may experience unresolved grief from the loss of their home, school and friends, but can also develop fluency in multiple languages and a deep understanding of different cultures. Photo: Getty Images

Lifestyle

Family & Relationships

News

China

People & Culture

Social Welfare


More than eight in 10 professional women believe giving birth harmed their chances of getting a promotion at work, a recent survey found
Of the more than 8,000 professional women surveyed, 40 per cent said they became stay-at-home mums because husbands were too busy at work



The problems and fears working mothers in China face rejoining the workforce and balancing their jobs with family life have been highlighted by a survey.


Families in China

Wellness

Working mothers in China lack support from employers – and their own families

More than eight in 10 professional women believe giving birth harmed their chances of getting a promotion at work, a recent survey found Of the more than 8,000 professional women surveyed, 40 per cent said they became stay-at-home mums because husbands were too busy at work

More than eight in 10 professional women believe giving birth harmed their chances of getting a promotion at work, a recent survey found

Of the more than 8,000 professional women surveyed, 40 per cent said they became stay-at-home mums because husbands were too busy at work