Better Jobs for Chinese Women with Family Responsibilities: Policy Options

1. Better Jobs for Chinese Women with Family Responsibilities: Policy Options Xiao-yuan Dong University of Winnipeg CEA annual conference June 1, 2013

2. World Bank Report (2013): Three main characters of good jobs • Living standards - Need both money and time • Productivity • Human resources produced daily and across generations • Social cohesion • Women’s household responsibilities - major contributor • Gender - a cross-cutting issue.

3. Chinese women’s market work and household responsibility • Chinese women bear major responsibilities for housework • Unpaid housework amounts to 30% of China’s GDP: 70% contributed by women. • However, the value of housework is not recognized. • Chinese government’s concern : to find the most efficient way of restructuring the productive economy • They assume that social reproduction will adjust accordingly.

4. Social protection for women’s reproductive role • China’s economic reforms : substantial cutbacks on the support of government and the employer for care provisioning • Public spending on social services is low, even by developing country standards a. Public spending on education as share of GDP: China is 3.1%, lower than the level in other countries. b. Pre-school enrolment rate (3-6 years): China in 2008: 47% Chile in 2006: 75.7% Mexico in 2008: 93.1%

5. Social protection for women’s reproductive role • Social protection for women’s reproductive role have been severely eroded. • Under pressure for profits, enterprises are increasingly reluctant to accommodate workers’ care-giving needs. • Protective labor regulations are not implemented in non-public sectors; • Export-oriented FDI and private firms hire primarily young, single migrant women; Female college graduates face labor market discrimination; Workers work long hours and overtime work is widespread.

6. Patriarchal values became more influential Percentage of people who agree "Men should play a major role in society while women should play a major role at home" Surveys of Chinese Women's Status (2000 and 2010)

7. Struggle of working women : Labour participation

8. Working hours and overtime work, 2008 Source: China Labor Force Survey

9. Time allocation among men and women20 to 49 years old, by sector (hours/week) Source: 2008 China Time Use Survey

10. Participation rates of men and women in market work, housework and non-work activities over 24 hours on a weekday Men Women Source: 2008 China Time Use Survey from Qi and Dong (2013)

11. Housework effects on the monthly earnings of men and women in non-agricultural sectors Gender differences in the housework indicators account for 28% of the gender earnings gap (0.226). Source: 2008 China Time Use Survey from Qi and Dong (2013)

12. Earnings differentials between mothers and childless women in urban China (Fix-effects estimates) Source: CHNS from Jia and Dong (2012)

13. % rural men and women aged between 18 and 64 are troubled By mental health problems in 2010 Source: The Third Survey of Chinese Women’s Status by ACWF

14. Acute family-work conflicts may have irreversible demographic consequences Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Database.

15. Policy options • Need social dialogue: - Who should be responsible for taking care of children, the disabled and the elderly? • Acknowledge and support the care economy in macroeconomic policy • Increase public spending on social services and time-saving infrastructural investment • Improve access to ECE and daycare programs by parents from disadvantaged social groups • Enforce protective labor regulations • Promote enterprise social responsibility and family-friendly workplace practice • Encourage men to take on more family responsibilities • Increase women’s voice and political representation