Maternity leave upgrades urged to help working mothers

Shanghai residents are calling for more sophisticated maternity insurance for female workers to improve their competitiveness in the job market, according to the findings of a new survey.

Nearly 57 percent of respondents to the survey, published by the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau ahead of International Women's Day, which falls on Tuesday, said they feel women encounter more barriers when looking for work and in career development, mainly because of issues around maternity leave and the fact that women face more distractions in the workplace due to family commitments and child care.

Nearly 30 percent of respondents believed the best solution lay in a thorough maternity insurance system capable of easing the burden on employers.