Shanghai Women's Federation to propose bigger role for fathers in raising children

The Shanghai Women's Federation will propose to increase the days of parental leave to the city's annual legislation and political advisory sessions scheduled for late January.

The proposal, which was revealed during a news conference in Shanghai on Thursday, also includes mandating that fathers take no less than one-third of this parental leave.

Women are currently entitled to 128 days of maternity leave, while fathers are entitled to have 10 days off to take care of the new born. The new proposal will ensure that fathers have at least 42 days off so as to take on more responsibility in the act of raising a child.

The proposal, said the federation, is aimed at strengthening social support for childbearing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women in the childbearing period.

Other proposals drafted by the federation include promoting women's employment, building a public interest litigation mechanism for the protection of women's and children's rights and interests, and establishing a children's graded reading system.