Advertisement

Chinese feminist’s online criticism of mainland’s family planning policy goes viral: demands for paternity leave, financial support

Critic calls for paternity leave for fathers, better financial support from the State for mothers

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese twin brothers Sun Qiyu and Sun Qichun wave national flags in Beijing on Monday. China must continue to enforce its one-child policy until new rules allowing all couples to have two children come into effect. Photo: Reuters

A Chinese feminist’s online criticism of the mainland’s future family planning policy, which will allow couples to have two children, has gone viral on mainland social media.

Advertisement

The microblogger on the Weibo website living in the city of Wuxi, in Jiangsu  province  – identified only as yangxue800226 – posted a comment on Sunday saying that the Chinese government had not provided a good environment for women to give birth.

She also said further policy changes were needed before permitting Chinese couples to have two children.

Yangxue800226 suggested introducing changes such as requiring husbands to take paternity leave and having the country pay 50 per cent of the salary and benefits that women were entitled to have while on maternity leave.

Her comments have been shared 25,000 times and attracted 13,000 likes and 4,000 comments.

Advertisement

Replies to her post have supported her ideas.

Advertisement