Xinhua Insight: What if equality equals more work?

Xinhua Insight: What if equality equals more work?

by Xinhua writer Yao Yuan

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- For Chinese feminists who havecampaigned for more parity between sexes in workplace, a recent callfor equality may have trapped them in dilemma.

"I suggest government adjust the early retirement age of women,which has made us politically and economically unprivileged," saidXu Chonghua, female deputy from Anhui Province, at the toplegislative meeting.

China allows female cadres to retire at 55 and women workers at50, five years earlier than men. But Xu deemed this gender divisionstipulated by a 1978 statute to be dated and problematic.

"Take female officials for example, earlier retirement bringsdown the age cap on promotion. So a woman in her fifties, the goldenage for a politician, already has her nose pressed on the glassceiling," said Xu.

"Women who retire early also have their pension and welfarebenefits shortened as a result of a shorter length of service," Xuadded.

Xu's proposal to either postpone women's retirement age or makethe age in line with men's, followed a statement by the Ministry ofHuman Resources and Social Security (MHRSS), which said an extensivereview of women's retirement age was afoot.

The statement set off a firestorm of public opinions, and thefiery debate on whether the age should be buoyed or reduced haveraged from online forums into the Great Hall of People, where theNational People's Congress, China's top legislature, is holding itsyearly plenary session. OLD AGE LOOMS

Many sociologists echo Xu's suggestion, arguing that restoringequality in the retirement age is becoming imperative as the Chinesesociety quickly ages.

"Given women's longer life expectancy, the current retirement ageis just too low," said Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology at thePeking University.

The increase in this regard, so to speak, can supplement theshrinking supply of young labors, while easing the financial burdenon the pension provision.

Yin Weimin, minister of MHRSS, Thursday said the country'spension system is now facing mounting pressures from the ballooningelderly population.

Yin said Chinese above 60 reached 170 million this year, or 12.8percent of the total population. Data released by the UN predictsthat 30 percent of the population will be over 60 by 2050.

But while China is on its way to becoming the world's most agedsociety, Chinese women can stop paying premiums and leave their jobswith full pension at a young age compared to women in othercountries. For example, women in Italy and the United States cannotreceive full pension until 60 and 67, respectively.

Song Meiya, a feminist activist at Modern Women Newspaper, saidsince the age was set at an early stage of modernization, it gavemore attention to laboring women.

"But with the age of brain fading in, the role of brawn hasdropped in society, and women in many occupations work nodifferently from their male colleagues," said Song.

"The old rules now work against our right of labor and haveundoubtedly caused a waste of human resources," said Song. REALITYBITES

The proposal of delayed retirement, however, caught nationalattention after many pragmatic-minded Chinese rushed to pour vitriolon it. On the Internet, opposition runs high over the potentialincrease in premium payments and occupation of positions for theyoung.

Xiao Hongjuan, one female deputy from Hubei Province, said thearguments in favor of the delay are only speaking for women in theoffice, while female laborers may favor just the opposite.

"Many of my co-workers in the assembly line are praying for anearlier retreat, as their increasing age and declining healthprevent them from performing well at work," said Li Hongjin, atextile worker and a deputy from Hubei.

Experts say that the divide in public opinion suggests that thereal problem behind this feminist debate is the widening income gap.

"If the payment and welfare at work are satisfactory, why are somany people so eager to retire?" asked Wang Jianqiang, researcherwith Hebei Academy of Social Science.

"The fact is that the benefits of work for female workers are farlower than for female cadres. That's why they respond to theretirement issue so much differently," said Wang.

One NPC committee earlier proposed a "flexible retirement age" ofwomen, or one that can vary according to circumstances of differentsectors and jobs.

The Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee also proposed thatwomen be given the right to decide if they will retire earlier thanthe standard age.

"The key is to fully respect the needs of women from all socialstrata," said Wang.