Nursing leave for only child a necessity

In 2016, Henan became the first province to introduce nursing leave for the only child, providing a maximum of 20 days of nursing leave per year to enable people to take care of their ailing parents. In 2018, Henan included the nursing leave for the only child into the province's ordinance on the protection of senior citizens' rights and interests.

Consecutively, more than 10 provinces, including Fujian and Heilongjiang, and major cities such as Guangzhou have introduced nursing leave - ranging from 10 to 20 days - for the only child. And Hubei and Heilongjiang provinces grant nursing leave to even non-only child for 10 days every year.

Although the public has welcomed this policy, many employees still face difficulties in getting this special leave, prompting some people to suggest that supervision and punishment for employers denying their staff of this special leave be enhanced to ensure the nursing leave policy is properly implemented. Fujian, for example, has stipulated that human resources and social security departments, along with other relevant departments, should take appropriate measures to enable the only child to enjoy paid nursing leave, and warned companies that they will be fined and listed as dishonest enterprises if they violate the regulation on nursing leave.