Safeguard female workers' rights

Beijing, Shanghai and some other regions have taken the lead in implementing the revised family planning policy, allowing married couples to have a second child if either the husband or the wife (or both) is the only child of his/her parents. Although Chinese people welcome the landmark revision, many are worried that it would make women more vulnerable in the workplace.

Their worries are not unfounded. Employers in general have been reluctant to recruit or promote women of child-bearing age who have not yet become mothers. And even with the revised family planning policy, many women will hesitate to have a second child unless there are some concrete measures to eliminate discrimination against pregnant women.

Since the Labor Law bars employers from firing woman employees if they conceive or during their breastfeeding period, pregnancy should no longer hinder a woman's career.