The question of how best to manage China’s ageing population and long-term demographic challenges is one of increasing urgency for its government. The recent loosening of family planning restrictions to allow up to three children, along with more generous social benefits for larger families, presents a clear message from Beijing that it wants its citizens to have more children.
 
But how does this call from central government for a baby boom come across to female professionals of child-bearing age? For those who have tirelessly developed their career, perhaps becoming mothers already, what does the prospect of either starting or enlarging their family look like in practical terms in 2022? 

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we wanted to explore this crucial aspect of China’s workplace culture and broader societal views. To find out what women in leadership positions think of the prevailing attitudes towards working mothers in China, we sat down with CEIBS’ own Professor of Management, Prof Jean Lee, as well as two Global EMBA alumni – Rosa Tao (Global EMBA 2019) and Lyra Xie (Global EMBA 2017) – who are prominent female leaders and mothers. Rosa is the current CFO for Pandora Greater China, a crucial territory for the global jewellery brand. Lyra is the Medical Affairs Director for Chiesi, one of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Work Life + Family Life = Busy Life

The simple formula above is a constant wherever you go in the world. Managing a dynamic career alongside parental obligations is a balancing act that nobody would ever call ‘easy’. But what factors are at play in China that alter the equation? Professor Lee explains how traditional gender attitudes still play a prominent role in China, both at home and in the workplace.

 Professor Jean Lee

The professor points out the added pressure and frequent frustration attached to double standards when it comes to measuring women’s success. For a woman to be seen as successful in the eyes of her family, colleagues and society, she must be highly engaged, competent and ‘present’ in both roles, while men are frequently only expected to prioritise their work, with little to no social stigma attached. This gender bias often leads prominent decision makers to see female professionals as less dedicated to their work than their male counterparts, prompting them to offer male employees more promotion opportunities, coveted assignments, resources and general opportunities to advance themselves.

Rosa Tao

“There is still a mindset in China today that the woman should take more responsibility for maintaining the home and children, regardless of her professional commitments. From personal experience, I cannot overstate the importance of having a willing, supportive partner. My husband and I are very work-driven, but we both understand that being parents and executives at the same time requires us to work together. Like a good CEO/CFO partnership, you have to be able to step in for each other, spot potential moments of crisis or overstretch, and help each other through it.”

 Lyra Xie

“I always strive for work/life balance, but it’s very elusive, it’s something I always feel I should make time to reassess. This is ironic really, since time is always in short supply! Time commitment is never simple when you’re juggling your career and being there for your family. I think this applies for working parents of both genders but the expectation to ‘cover both sides’ without complaint does fall more heavily on women.” 

Help from above – Where does the Government fit in?

Alongside the passing into law of the nationwide three-child policy, 2021 also saw the extension of maternity leave by another 30 days in provincial and municipal governments, including those of Beijing and Shanghai. These are just some of the recent signals being sent by the Chinese Government that its general desire to increase China’s birth rate will be backed with a growing package of supportive policies to make life financially and logistically easier for parents. But how do our interviewees see these recent efforts?

 Lyra Xie

“I think the government is going in the right direction by implementing policies that will make childbearing and child raising much easier for millions of Chinese citizens. However, one area that this effort could expand into is encouraging companies to be more aware and supportive of working mothers’ challenges. This could range from workplace breastfeeding considerations (private areas/time off to pump, etc) to more flexible working hours to help mothers manage their busy family life. This can’t be a forceful, penalty-led approach, however; it should be encouragement based.” 

Rosa Tao

“Some of the most helpful recent policy changes relate to the reduction of homework and after-school classes. Parents have welcomed this change because if you have more than one child, the logistics involved in managing multiple sets of extra-curricular activities, plus tutoring, plus homework, can easily become too much.” 

Professor Lee agrees that the government is clearly trying to make it easier for women to have more children, but warns that the costs – both financial and career impact-wise – still outweigh the benefits in the eyes of women. She sees the latest measures as ‘compensations’ designed to reduce various costs attached to motherhood, but says that they are still far from being powerful incentives to actively encourage women to have more children. 

To address the financial implications of having more children (an expensive business at the best of times), the professor believes the following three policies would be the best way to tip the scales in a manner that was fair, practical, and straightforwardly beneficial to working mothers.

•    In addition to basic maternity/paternity leave allowances, couples should be allowed to take an additional 30 days “parenting leave”, available to either parent, making it an equal opportunity benefit.
•    Variation in tax incentives should be applicable to women who give birth to their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd child.
•    Variation in childcare subsidies should also be applicable to parents, weighted according to the birth order of their children.

The professor also believes that government policies could be beneficial in actively re-integrating mothers into the workforce in a manner that works for them, their family and their employer. Given that the prospect of career sacrifice is one of the biggest disincentives for female professionals to have one or more children, policies along the following lines could prove to be highly effective birth rate boosters, while actively helping women achieve a better work/life balance.

•    Direct encouragement of flexi-work arrangements. Companies should allow more flexible working hours and support remote working to allow mothers to spend more time with their children and manage their home life routines.
•    Priority in school admission for siblings of current students.
•    Encouragement of family-friendly work environments.
•    Parenthood mentoring and social support apps within companies to help cope with childcare needs.
•    Training programmes for workforce re-integration of mothers and fathers.

Embracing ‘Family-friendly’ work culture – Where do employers fit in? 

Government policies and general directions are invariably powerful motivators in encouraging or discouraging different workplace behaviours, as well as being highly influential on corporate culture. However, the vastness and complexity of China and its economic infrastructure means that the government cannot be expected to shape, moderate and/or police every aspect of what occurs in the workplace. 

Employers are among the most direct influencers of how easy or difficult it is for women to manage their commitments as mothers while also performing their job to the best of their ability. While the government may end up providing more ‘broad brushstroke’ advice and directives on encouraging family-friendly working environments, companies themselves will have to decide how best to implement necessary changes. 

Professor Lee cites specific examples of what companies can do to make their working mothers and fathers feel more supported and valued.

“Companies must recognise the importance of family and respect ‘family time’. Unreasonable working hours like 996 [working 9AM to 9PM, six days per week] should be discouraged and even penalised, as it’s a form of exploitation. Adopting a holistic view on employee welfare (beyond simple lunch and transport allowances) and looking into the total wellbeing of employees to have a balance work-life is an equally important step for companies to take. Specific events can also be helpful, such as family days, parenthood workshops etc.”

She points towards Schneider Electric, the global energy specialist, as a major MNC that has led the way in creating a family-friendly corporate culture in its China operations. Its Female Leader Plan was started back in 2012 to develop female employees with 8-15-years of work experience and high leadership potential. In 2014, it established its Women Advisory Board, which advocates for the career development of women within the organisation, with consideration to all family matters. In addition, its Family Leave Policy (in place since 2018) and the Flexibility @ Work Policy (started in 2017) provide vital support for female leaders to take care of their families while bringing their best to the company. 

She particularly highlights how Schneider organises its "He For She" event annually, and invites male leaders and employees from all departments and levels to participate, to share positive and negative cases with female employees, to discuss their hidden gender bias stereotypes, and to call on everyone to “lead by example” and take practical actions to better help female employees to develop. 

Fortunately, Schneider is not an isolated case. The importance of recognising and actively supporting working mothers appears to be a growing trend in China’s forward-thinking companies. Our interviewees agree that a supportive, welcoming company culture is as significant a factor as legally protected benefits related to maternity leave and family-related workplace matters.

 Rosa Tao

“Companies absolutely have a role to play. Pandora has a complete commitment to an equality-based hiring environment; there are no questions about how many children job applicants have or plan to have. I have had prior experiences being asked questions like this in interviews and it is indicative of a problematic company culture.”

 Lyra Xie

“Jack Ma of Alibaba has said that when it comes to people retention, only two things matter: one is compensation, the other is whether that person is happy to be working there. It’s not just about raising benefits; if companies can make their employees who are mothers feel respected, welcomed and happy to be there, that is just as important, if not more so.”

Will the balancing act become easier in China?

The government wants more children born in China, quickly, and has shown already that it is willing to incentivise that process. However, as female participation in China’s labour force and workplace leadership grows, overcoming the spectre of ‘sacrificing career for family’ in the minds of working women will remain a challenge for both the government and private employers.

In addition, both groups must still account for, and contend with, deep-seated cultural biases that will likely continue to discourage women in China from trying to manage both a career and family at the same time. As Professor Lee concludes, the balancing act remains complex, as much a cultural issue as a practical one.

 Professor Jean Lee

“I see the contradiction in the Chinese culture. On the one hand, Mao’s time has advocated that ‘women hold up half of the sky’ and women have been increasingly encouraged to become scientists and engineers. On the other hand, there remains a traditional, deep-rooted belief that woman should be submissive to family – if not to men. The male-oriented and paternalistic mindset is still rather strong in Chinese culture. I believe this remains the biggest obstacle to women wanting to have both a career and children. If lasting change is to come, it must come from men changing their mindset on the roles of both men and women at home and in the workplace, allowing for a more collaborative approach to managing both spheres.”