Burden of raising children can be eased

A WORKING MOTHER IN DALIAN, Northeast China's Liaoning province, found her 9-month-old baby had a fever, so she applied for a day off to take care of it. The next day, the baby's fever had risen to 42 degrees Celsius, but when she applied for another day off her request was rejected. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The woman posted snapshots of her WeChat conversations online, which aroused fierce discussion. Some blamed her company for being too rigid with the schedule, while others said the company might suffer losses if it allowed Wang to have an additional day off. Some commiserated with her, saying married women, especially with children, face the double pressure of family and job.

Actually, neither the woman who needs the day off, nor the company that insists on its office discipline is at fault. The problem stems from the fact that society lacks a system to ease the burden of raising children. A couple has to pay for a wet nurse, or let their parents help to take care of the baby. Both involve cost even though in the latter case they do not have to pay. During the whole process, they can expect little help from the government.