Love and Sex in China

Proposal to extend maternity leave to 3 years

Published

12 years ago

August 11, 2014

Trending topic of August 11, 2014: China’s policies on maternity leave. Businessman and National People’s Congress delegation member Wang Youjun has consistently been advocating extending China’s maternity leave to three years. The topic became trending on Sina Weibo after this weekend. With a greying society and declining birth rates, China is facing similar problems as Japan.

After Japanese Prime Minister Abe, Chinese delegate Wang Youjun now also strongly advocates extending the maternity leave of…

Up Next

15-year-old Finn Wants to Join China’s Army

Don't Miss

Baby Steps Forwards or Backwards? Call to Extend China’s Maternity Leave to Three Years

Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Click to comment

China in Translation

Jiehun Huazhai (结婚化债): Getting Married to Pay Off Debts

Published

1 year ago

July 3, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 A version of this story also appeared in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

Our Weibo phrase of the week is 结婚化债 jiéhūn huàzhài. Lately, the term “结婚化债” jiéhūn huàzhài, which translates to “marriage as debt resolution” or “getting married to resolve debt” is a recurring term on Chinese social media.

The word refers to a phenomenon that has become more prevalent alongside rising debts among…

China Media

12-Year-Old Girl from Shandong Gets Infected with HPV: Viral Case Exposes Failures in Protecting Minors

A doctor in Tai’an faced resistance when she tried to report a 12-year-old girl’s HPV case. She then turned to social media instead.

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2024

Manya Koetse

A 12-year-old girl from Shandong was diagnosed with HPV at a local hospital. When a doctor attempted to report the case, she faced resistance. Weibo users are now criticizing how the incident was handled.

Over the past week, there has been significant uproar on Chinese social media regarding how authorities, official channels, and state media in China have handled cases of sexual abuse and rape involving female victims and male perpetrators, often portraying the…