Concerns, nurseries

Despite the revised rules, some experts said that without solid backing from authorities, such new policies could even deepen gender discrimination in the workplace.

Song Tianjiao, who is looking for a job in Beijing, said she was asked about her marital status and childbearing plans at several job interviews. In one extreme case, she was asked to pledge that she would not get pregnant for two years after starting the job.

"In such an environment, will the extension of maternity leave make it harder for women to find a job?" she said.

Chen Xia, a researcher with the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that such concerns are reasonable, and the current dilemma is that the costs of favorable fertility policies are shouldered almost totally by employers.

She added that a range of measures－such as issuing fertility allowances (for families), granting tax exemptions (for employers) and promoting gender equity－could be used to spread such costs among different sectors of society.

Meanwhile, experts have called for stronger efforts to boost nursery services for children age 3 and younger.

Yang Wenzhuang, director of the National Health Commission's Population Surveillance and Family Development Department, said there are about 40 million children age 3 and younger nationwide, but only 6 percent are estimated to be enrolled in nurseries.

"Even in urban areas, the rate is less than 10 percent, far lower than the 25 to 55 percent in developed countries," he said.

"The nursery care sector is a notable shortcoming in the government's efforts to ensure people's livelihoods. A lack of resources to take care of babies is also a major factor that will affect the third-child policy."

In October, 23 government departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission, released a guideline that said more public funds and support will be offered to build affordable nursery care institutions across the country.

The first government-subsidized nursery care center in Jianghan district, Wuhan, Hubei province, opened on Dec 24.

The center, open from 8 am to about 5 pm, provides a number of services for babies, from health checkups to light workouts.

"The establishment of such a child care center close to residential communities will greatly ease the burden of child care on parents," Wang Na, a resident and mother of a 2-year-old boy, told local media.