Better maternity insurance key to women's happiness
The Shanghai Women’s Federation wants the city government to speed up combining maternity insurance and basic medical insurance following a recent survey.
The survey, released on Thursday, shows about 87 percent of local mothers at childbearing ages who already have a child are reluctant to have a second.
The reason given by some 64 percent of the respondents is the high cost of raising a child. Only 31 percent thought their age was a problem.
On March 6, the State Council General Office issued a document on the combination of funds and management resources for maternity insurance and basic medical insurance.
The federation advised government to restructure the maternity insurance providence system. It also called for improvements to women’s screening on gynecopathy and breast cancer, saying companies should be obliged to provide screening services for female employees, with better government funding. Screening should be expanded to women who are not employed.
According to the survey, the happiness index of local women during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) was 4.17, 0.63 higher than in the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).
More than 70 percent of the 2,016 respondents thought their happiness came from a happy family life. Only 13 percent believed that high incomes and rich lifestyles brought happiness.
Most of respondents expressed they wanted economic independence from their parents.