“to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be considered by many young people at the moment. The high cost of housing, childcare, education rolls, and short maternity leave, together with a real challenge, has led many families to move from “wanted” to “failed”. With a view to overcoming the difficulties of population development, the state has introduced a series of new policies to support childbirth, ranging from maternity allowances, extended leave to home-oriented care, and increased childcare, with a view to reducing all aspects of the cost of parenting. Will these new deals allow young people to move from being afraid to being born? Today's policy is articulated in plain words to see if these benefits are actually practical or not。
First, clear the policy rationale: all benefits are backed by official documents
The new deal we are talking about is not an empty story, but is based on official documents issued jointly by the national multisectoral community, and implementation in different parts of the country is not going in the right direction
1. A number of measures of the office of the secretary of state on accelerating the improvement of the system of reproductive support policies to promote a productive and friendly society (2024] number 48)
2. Guidance for the further improvement and implementation of positive maternity support measures in 17 sectors, including the national commission for health and human rights
3. Law of the people's republic of china on population and family planning (second amendment, 2021)
4. Locally amended population and family planning ordinance (updated from 2021 to 2025)
These documents cover all aspects of maternity, parenting, education, housing, employment, at the heart of which is the “singing of the chorus” of the government, the society and the enterprise, which is no longer the “one play” of the family. By 2025, core policies such as extended maternity leave, establishment of parental leave and maternity benefits had been implemented in all provinces (districts and municipalities) and, in some areas, in accordance with local conditions, benefits had increased only unabated。
Ii. Fertility chain: real silver and silver subsidy + extra long leave to spare the child
In the past, many people had been afraid to give birth. One was the hospitalization of the baby, while the second was the short maternity leave, which affected their income. The new deal is now working from both “money” and “time” to directly address early childbearing concerns。
(i) maternity allowance + health insurance reimbursement, with hospitalization costs reported in half
The new deal explicitly strengthens the maternity insurance function, which allows both active and flexible workers to receive maternity reimbursement and maternity benefits, as well as partial reimbursement of costs through health insurance for those who are not employed。
- coverage: maternity check-ups, childbirth and post-natal rehabilitation are reported, and projects such as painless childbirth, assistive reproduction techniques, etc., are now covered by health insurance in many places, free of full cost。
- maternity allowance: a maternity allowance is paid to a woman during her maternity leave, at the rate of the average monthly wage of the employer's employee in the previous year, which does not result in a decrease in her salary. In shanghai, for example, women workers have 158 days of maternity leave and receive more than 50,000 maternity benefits at an average wage of 10,000 yuan, covering almost enough pre- and post-natal expenses。
- additional benefits: in a number of places, a “birth package” is issued directly, such as sichuan, which provides a lump-sum maternity allowance of $5,000 and $10,000 for families with two or three children, respectively, and jilin, which provides a subsidy of $2,000 per woman worker for enterprises that provide 180 days of maternity leave, which guarantees the rights and interests of women workers and reduces the burden on businesses。
(ii) maternity, paternity, parental leave, which is “full”
In the past, maternity leave had been short and paternity leave had been low, and she had to go to work if she had not recovered. Maternity leave has been extended to an unprecedented number of provinces throughout the country:
Maternity leave: the state provides for 98 days of basic maternity leave, which is now generally extended to 158 days and more in all provinces, while in the provinces of jiangxi, qinghai and hebei, maternity leave for two or three children can reach 188 days, and in sichuan it is proposed to be extended by the step of childhood up to 150 days (plus 248 days of basic maternity leave)。
- paternity leave: after only 7 days in many places, it has now been raised to about 15 days, and in the provinces of jiangxi, yunnan and anhui, in particular, 30 days, so that bobo can stay with her and her newborn child。
- parental leave: this is the highlight of the new deal, with children under three years of age, and parental leave is available to both spouses every year, ranging from 5 to 20 days. For example, beijing is 5 days a year, hunan 10 days a year, qinghai 15 days a day with pay, and employers cannot deduct their wages。
Practical examples: ms. Zhang of wuhan gave birth to two children in 2025, with 188 days of maternity leave and more than 40,000 maternity benefits; her husband took 15 days of paternity leave, with 10 more days of parental leave each year thereafter. “only 98 days at the time of her father's birth, she went to work and did not recover, this leave was long enough, and there was a subsidy, and she felt much less pressure on the baby.”。
(iii) take note of two details to avoid welfare “shrunk”
1. Active participation of persons in flexible employment: now, in many places, flexible workers are allowed to participate in maternity insurance, and if they pay their contributions on time, they will be treated in the same way as active workers, so that participation is not missed
2. Maternity pay and maternity benefit are not duplicated: maternity benefit is paid by the employer if the employer has already paid the maternity pay, and if the pay is lower than the maternity allowance, the employer is required to make up the difference and the employee cannot be deprived。
Iii. The parenting chain: care, double security of the home, making it easy for the children
The birth of a child is only the beginning, and the birth of a child is the “first play”. Most families are afraid of having two or three children. The new deal has targeted these pain spots to make it easier to raise children。
(i) inclusive care expansion, no longer using “kidnapping”
Formerly a good care institution, “one hard to seek”, private care classes charge several thousand yuan a month, which ordinary families cannot afford. The new deal now calls for a substantial increase in the provision of inclusive care, so that more families can access affordable and quality care:
- an increase in the number of public places: local centres have been set up with investments from the central budget and special local debt, with priority being given to full coverage at the municipal and local levels, with a higher percentage of public places and higher fees (generally £10000-2000 per month)。
- community-based care: the establishment of childcare centres in small areas, which can be delivered on foot for a few minutes, is easily accessible to parents, and many are provided at free or low cost, at a cost of more than half the cost of commercial care。
- job placements: large enterprises and enterprises are encouraged to provide welfare care services for their employees, such as huaiyong, ali and others. They are provided with day-care facilities, which are provided free of charge to their children。
- one-child care: kindergarten begins to accommodate children aged two to three years, allowing the child to adapt to collective life early and reducing the burden of parental care。
Policy guarantees: the use of water and gas in care institutions is carried out at the cost of the population's livelihood, with tax and fee concessions, lower operating costs and a natural fall in fees. At the same time, primary hospitals and nursing institutions are contracted to provide health management, disease control and safety floors。
(ii) housing policy is biased, with priority for families with many children
Houses are too small to live with two children; house prices are too high and change is too stressful. The new deal explicitly supports housing in favour of families with many children, leaving enough room for children to raise:
- priority for public rental housing: in the allocation of public rental housing, families with many children may choose large households, with additional points on the waiting list, and in some cases even directly organize the selection of houses, without queuing。
- provident fund loan drawdown: for families with many children who buy their first home, the housing fund loan line could be increased by 10-20 per cent, i. E. Half a million loans, now 600,000 loans, and less pressure on down payment and monthly payments。
- reluctance of rental housing: families with many children renting housing in the field are able to draw from the public pool on the basis of actual rental expenditure, free of restrictions and to ease the pressure on rental housing。
Case: mr. Lee and his wife in shenzhen wanted to have a second child, but the two rooms are not enough for now, and the three rooms are under stress. Following the implementation of the new deal in 2025, they applied for public rental housing because of the priority given to a child in a three-bedroom with a monthly rent of more than 3,000 lower than the market price; while applying for a provident fund loan, the amount was increased by 15 per cent, the initial pressure on the replacement was much smaller, and the couple decided decisively to give birth to two children。
(iii) tax credit plus codes to save a tax on children
As early as 2019, the special income tax deduction policy for the care of children under three years of age was implemented, and the new deal has further increased the credit and reduced the family tax burden。
- deduction criteria: 1,000 yuan per month for each child under the age of three, 12,000 yuan per year, 50 per cent for each spouse and 50 per cent for each spouse。
- superintendency: if a child goes to school, he or she is entitled to a special allowance for the education of the child. He or she is entitled to a monthly deduction of $1,000 from kindergarten to university. Families with many children are entitled to an accumulated credit and a considerable tax is available for one year。
Iv. Education component: “double down” + resource build-up to keep the teaching community out of print
The “intra-educational paper” has made it difficult for many parents to get their children off the start-up line, and it has been costly to report on remedial classes and buy a school block. The new deal starts with both the availability of educational resources and the reduction of costs in order to bring education back to its essence and to ease family educational anxiety。
(i) implementation of the “two-declination” and cooling off-school training
The “dual down” policy is not a windfall but a long-standing policy aimed at reducing the burden of students' work and out-of-school training:
- school after-school services are fully covered: after-school services are generally available in primary and secondary schools, at the latest, until parents leave work, to address the problem of “baby-taking”, and after-school services include classes of interest, job counselling, and no more money is paid for extracurricular classes。
- out-of-school training norms: training institutions in disciplines are not allowed to attend classes on weekends, holidays, summer holidays, fees are imposed at government-directed prices, prices cannot be increased at random, and disruptions in the “attendance school” are completely curbed。
(ii) quality education resources are expanded and school selection anxiety is reduced
- inclusive pre-school education: the promotion of inclusive development of kindergartens, with over 85 per cent of public and inclusive preschools, tuition fees being kept within reasonable limits, and no longer required to “relationship and spend a great deal of money” for the betterment of kindergartens。
- equalization of compulsory education: optimize the allocation of educational resources, promote school districts and grouping schools, provide access to quality education resources for weak schools, choose the heat to cool the schools, and rationalize the prices of the schools。
- school attendance with many children: in many places, policies have been put in place to support children from families with many children to attend the same school, for example, in primary schools, where children and sisters are given priority, and to deal with the problems of sending two children to two schools。
V. Employment between women to protected business
Many women are afraid to give birth for fear of being fired from their children, being paid less, and having their careers affected. The new deal strengthens the protection of workers ' rights and interests and creates a family-friendly working environment in which women can give birth。
(i) prohibition of gender discrimination in employment
The employer may not discriminate against women in respect of recruitment, promotion, remuneration, etc., especially during maternity. In the event of dismissal due to pregnancy or childbirth, the female employee may file a complaint with the labour inspectorate, request compensation from the employer and defend her legal rights and interests。
(ii) flexible working systems
The employer is encouraged to provide flexible working methods such as working hours and working hours for women during pregnancy and childbirth, such as working hours for women who are unable to move at the end of their pregnancy, to apply for a night shift of one hour or to work part-time, without prejudice to work or physical care。
(iii) vocational skills training
For women re-entering the workforce after childbirth, the government provides free vocational skills training to help them upgrade their knowledge, upgrade their skills and adapt quickly to changes in the workplace without fear of being eliminated from the workforce after birth。
Case in point: ms. Wang of guangzhou took 188 days of maternity leave after her second child, returned to the company and applied for flexibility to go to work and get to work as late as one hour a day to facilitate the delivery of her boss to school. The company also provided her with online vocational skills training to keep her pace with her work
Vi. While the new deal is good, these practical issues remain to be addressed
There is no denying that the new deal for procreation has solved many practical problems, but there are other practical challenges that need to be slowly solved if young people are to truly move from being “failed” to “wild to live”:
(i) “temperature differential” in policies
In order to reduce costs, some small and medium-sized enterprises may be disguised as reducing maternity leave, withholding maternity benefits or not implementing parental leave. In particular, some private enterprises and self-employed persons are not adequately implementing policies, resulting in the lack of protection of the rights and interests of women workers。
(ii) supply and demand gaps in care services
Although inclusive care is being extended, there are still too few childcare facilities in some three or four-line cities and counties, especially in community-based care centres, which are not sufficiently covered and many families still face the problem of being “unattended”。
(iii) housing pressures remain high
Although families with many children have access to housing preferences, in the first-line cities housing prices and rents remain high, the supply of public rental housing is limited, and many families still have difficulty coping with the pressure to change and rent。
(iv) education anxiety has not been fully reduced
After the “two drops”, out-of-school training is scarce, but parents' educational anxiety has not completely disappeared, and the cost of education is still high in order for their children to attend a good university。
Vii. A guide to hole avoidance: do not lose sight of this, or it affects the enjoyment of welfare
1. To keep abreast of local policies: maternity allowance, maternity leave, foster care benefits, etc., by different local regulations, and to know clearly through the network of local government officials and the 12345 hotline, such as the need to make voluntary applications for local maternity benefits and not miss the filing time
2. Maintenance of the relevant documentation: invoices for maternity check-ups, hospitalization lists, birth certificates, etc., are important documents for the reimbursement of maternity medical expenses, maternity allowances, etc., to be kept in safe custody
Beware of false welfare information: some agencies market under the banner of “remuneration allowance” “care preference”, which must be verified through official channels to avoid fraud
4. Legitimate defence of their rights and interests: if the employer does not implement maternity leave, parental leave or the deduction of maternity benefits, the employer must submit a timely complaint to the labour inspectorate and use legal weapons to protect itself。
Viii. Conclusion: would you like to have a baby because of the new deal
It is true that the new deal for procreation is working from the whole chain of “birth, upbringing, teaching, residence and occupation” and makes it much less stressful for children and children. However, the situation is different for each individual, some families may feel that subsidies are not sufficient, others may feel that childcare services are not sufficiently convenient, and others may fear that the birth of a child affects career development。
So, what do you think about the new deal for procreation? Did these benefits impress you? If it were you, would you choose to have two or three children because of those policies? What further policy solutions do you think are needed? Welcome to the comment section and talk about the baby
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