A new insurance fund will come into force in July to cover
medical fees and maternity leave for working mothers in Beijing. By
requiring all employers to contribute rather than only those who
employ women, it hopes to reduce discrimination against female
workers.
The scheme is a result of local regulations adopted by the
municipal government on birth insurance, which will cover women who
are permanent residents and have jobs in the urban area.
The new rules will require all employers to make contributions,
which will be used to pay for medical examinations, delivery, any
necessary operations, and hospitalization and medication costs.
An estimated 1.1 million women will be covered, but those who
give birth at hospitals in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and elsewhere
will be disqualified.
Under the new terms, subsidies will be paid to new mums for 90
days, with 15 days added to paid maternity leave if they experience
difficulties during delivery. If they have twins, another 15 days
of leave will be added.
"Currently, some employers are unwilling to hire female workers.
That is largely because they think they will have to pay more if
they have children," Wang Dexiu, deputy director of the Beijing
Municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security, told Xinhua News
Agency.
"With the adoption of the new regulations, all urban enterprises
have to pay into the fund, whether they employ female workers or
not."
Wang said he believed the adoption of the system would promote
fairer employment opportunities for women.
"Meanwhile, the system will benefit businesses that have
comparatively larger numbers of female workers," Wang said.
If an enterprise refuses to contribute to the scheme, it will
have to pay women workers fixed amounts directly, according to
Wang. More details about the regulation will be released to the
public before the middle of the year.
(China Daily February 2, 2005)