5. Improved Family Lives
China places emphasis on fostering family culture, values, and traditions, recognizing the unique role of women in both social and family life. Efforts continue to be made to leverage women's distinctive contributions in promoting traditional Chinese family virtues and establishing positive family traditions. Policies supporting family development are continuously improved, enhancing families' capacity for development and creating favorable conditions for women to enjoy better family lives.
More equal and harmonious family relations in the new era. Laws and regulations including the Civil Code, the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, and the Anti-Domestic Violence Law have been promulgated to protect women's rights within marriage and the family.
A new marital and childbearing culture is widely promoted. Marriage and family counseling services are widely available at marriage registration authorities at or above the county level nationwide. Over 2,000 pilot units are advancing marriage customs reform, and activities such as "bringing new marriage and childbearing norms into households" are continuously carried out to promote values including gender equality, mutual respect, and shared parenting responsibilities between couples.
The Fourth Survey on the Social Status of Women in China shows that 90 percent of married women participate in decision-making on major family matters, an increase of approximately 15 percentage points compared to 2010. The gender gap in time spent on household chores has narrowed, and there is a growing emphasis on marital relationships based on mutual respect and trust.
A family-friendly society gradually in shape. To meet the demands of high-quality population development and family wellbeing, measures have been introduced to improve childbirth support policies and develop a childbirth-friendly society.
The childbirth leave system has been enhanced, with local regulations extending maternity leave and paternity leave and introducing parental childcare leave. Special additional deductions for individual income tax have been implemented, covering expenses for under-three children nursing, eldercare, and children's education. A childcare subsidy system has been established and implemented, while free pre-school education has been promoted in a phased way.
Employers are encouraged to create "family-friendly workplaces" by adopting flexible working hours or remote work options after negotiating with employees to support them in both career development and childcare.
Nursing facilities have been provided. By the end of 2024, 403,000 enterprises and public institutions with trade unions had set up nursing rooms for female employees. The provision of baby care rooms in public places has also been expanded, and design standards such as the Uniform Standard for the Design of Civil Buildings, the Standard for the Design of Office Buildings, and the Code for the Design of Railway Passenger Station Buildings now include requirements for such facilities. By the end of 2024, 1,449 baby care rooms had been established in railway stations; 5,371 in highway service areas (including parking areas); 286 on passenger ships and in port passenger terminals; 2,308 in secondary and above-grade bus stations; 2,599 in urban rail transit stations; and nursing rooms in all civilian airports with an annual passenger throughput of 5,000 or more.
More diverse services to reduce family care burden. A variety of childcare services are provided to families, including full-day, half-day, and temporary care options, and employers are also supported in establishing childcare facilities. By the end of 2024, there were 5.74 million childcare slots nationwide, with 4.08 slots per 1,000 people for children under three.
A family education guidance service system covering both urban and rural areas has been established. Relying on over 400,000 parent schools in urban and rural communities and more than 20,000 online new media platforms, family education guidance service teams have worked to organize rich and diverse parent-child activities, bringing scientific family education guidance services directly to households and communities.
The eldercare framework has been optimized, where home care is supported by communities and professional institutions, featuring a combination of medical care and eldercare services. Services such as meal assistance, bathing aid, home modifications for the elderly, and barrier-free renovations for financially difficult families with members with severe disabilities have become more accessible.
The domestic service sector continues to improve in quality and expand in scale. By the end of 2023, there were approximately 600,000 domestic service entities and 16,000 women-led domestic service community stations. National domestic service vocational skills competitions have been held to encourage skill enhancement among people working in this sector, provide a growth platform for more of them, and deliver high-quality services to families.
(Source: SCIO White Paper China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era)
Editor: Cui Rui
