Women with very little to complain about

THREE out of four women living in Shanghai don’t want a third child if the family planning policy is further relaxed, according to a survey released yesterday.

Of 1,061 women questioned, 75 percent of them said they did not want a third child if the country further relaxed the current two-child policy. Only 2.4 percent said they would like to have a third child, according to the 2018 Shanghai Women’s Lives and Thoughts Survey.

One major reason is perhaps a lack of incentives and benefits, the survey implied.

When being asked what they expected most from the government related to having and raising children, 31.9 percent said they are would expect to receive more subsidies to cover the huge expenses.

Of the rest, 25.2 percent said they want longer maternity leave, which currently lasts 128 day based on the city’s population and family planning rules.

And 10.5 percent of them called for their husbands to be given extra paternity leave. Currently, new fathers in Shanghai only enjoy 10 days of paid leave, much less than the national average of almost 17.

Other demands include more care centers for under threes and favorable policies such as housing tax deductions for a family that needs to move to a bigger house to accommodate the new child.

According to the survey, nearly 95 percent of woman in Shanghai are happy with their families.

They get along so well that their family members support them during difficult times.

Nearly 80 percent of them are satisfied with their jobs.

Nearly 90 percent of them said they had very good relations with their colleagues and felt comfortable in the workplace.

More than 96 percent said they could find a new job within half a year, the survey said.

The survey was released yesterday by Shanghai Women’s Federation and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.