The evolution of maternity leave benefits and child care policy in China: A study of institutional factors of fertility desires
The purpose of this study is to explore the evolution of maternity leave benefits and child care policy in China from 1949 to 2022, and to evaluate the Chinese experience of social welfare system which is for or against fertility will. Based on materials of economic, social and cultural conditions, this paper focuses on why the administration had different policies on maternity leave and child care during different periods. Drawing on the historical analysis, this paper divides the stages of welfare system according to the stage of social development. In addition, this paper tries to understand the transformation of welfare to parent and children under the background of economic, social and cultural conditions. Following the development and revolution of China economic and society, this paper finds four stages of parental and child welfare:(a) the initial stage of modern system of female rights in the workplace and family; (b) the classic stage of "unit" system which empowers the enterprise into full functions of society satisfied the needs of life; (c) the development stage of market-economic system which shrinks the employee welfare;(d) the new stage which is still on the way. This paper is an discussion on a kind of historical review, which does not mean that the idea of four stages would be a popular knowledge, but only indicates that the policies of parental benefits and child care benefits show local exploration in special periods which is relevant the development and revolution of China. This paper provides answers for how to interpret the rules of parental leave benefits and child care in practice, and affirms that the local innovation in parental leave benefits and the traditional mode of child care in China provides support for sustainable population production in addition to protect the rights and interests of women and children. This study contributes to the theory of Chinese characteristics which supports the local innovation of balancing employment and childbirth, which is not a result of legal transplant. This paper contributes to the interpretation of parental leave benefits and child care policy in the view of historical views.
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