Most Chinese provinces adopted new local rules on family planning through the second half of last year, with significant extensions to parental leave and the introduction of childcare leave, providing allowances that are more generous than those granted by national regulations. Such developments are in keeping with a broad new pro-natalist approach advocated by Beijing, however they have not (yet) been accompanied by protective measures, particularly for women, who risk being undermined by this apparent progress.
In 2016 the Chinese government relaxed its “one-child policy” – first introduced in 1979 by Deng Xiaoping – in order to curb the accelerated ageing of its population, making it possible to have two children. This long-awaited shift initially prompted a slight rebound in the birth rate, from 16.55 million births in 2015 to 17.86 million in 2016. Following a census that provoked concern in Beijing, revealing only 12 million births in 2020, the government announced its so-called “three-child...
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