Push for more parental care leave gathers pace

Zhang Da found his parents were less involved in familial and social gatherings and talked slowly when he returned home from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to spend the Spring Festival holiday with them in mid-January.

"It just hit me that my parents were getting old, and I felt a stronger sense of responsibility and an intense feeling that I needed to accompany them more often," the 28-year-old said. "My father also fell sick last year and now needs me to take care of him."

However, like a number of regions in China, Shaanxi only grants paid parental care leave to employees from one-child families. "I have siblings so my employer would not easily allow me to take time off work," he said.

The dilemma confronting Zhang is starting to receive increasing attention from authorities as China strives to meet the demand for senior care in a rapidly aging society.

China had about 297 million people aged 60 and older — 21.1 percent of its population — by the end of last year. The elderly population is forecast to reach 400 million, and exceed 30 percent of the total, by around 2035, according to official estimates.

In response to a netizen's online suggestion, the health commission in Zhejiang province said late last month that when it revises local population and family planning regulations it will consider extending parental care leave to workers who are not the only child in their families.

The online suggestion said that being filial to parents and accompanying them is a basic moral principle and policies should not differ on the basis of the number of children in a family.

The provincial health commission acknowledged the necessity of expanding eligibility for such leave.

"We also encourage employers to offer care leave for workers whose elderly parents are hospitalized or cannot live by themselves due to illness," it said.

In reply to a similar online request, the civil affairs bureau in Beijing said in late January that setting up parental care leave is imperative.

"With the deepening aging trend in the city, elderly care has become a difficult problem for all and should be emphasized and dealt with proactively," it said.

"Granting parental care leave is one active measure to tackle the aging trend. Currently, there is no national law or regulation related to it but we see it as an imperative task based on practical demands."

Nationwide, several regions allow paid parental leave for workers with siblings.

In Tianjin, people from a one-child family are entitled to 20 days of paid parental care leave a year and those who are not an only child are given 10 days.

The province of Guizhou grants seven days' paid leave for employees with siblings, compared with 15 days for those who are the sole child.

One concern of local authorities is that such leave has an impact on labor costs.

Health authorities in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region said previously that the establishment of any paid leave should take into consideration the rights of workers and the labor costs of employers.

Feng Wenmeng, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, told People's Daily that honors could be bestowed on businesses that provide parental care leave.

Local governments could also consider giving tax deductions to employers who implement parental care leave, he said.