A new insurance fund will come into force in July to cover medical fees and maternity leave for working mothers in Beijing. By requiring all employers to contribute rather than only those who employ women, it hopes to reduce discrimination against female workers.

The scheme is a result of local regulations adopted by the municipal government on birth insurance, which will cover women who are permanent residents and have jobs in the urban area.

The new rules will require all employers to make contributions, which will be used to pay for medical examinations, delivery, any necessary operations, and hospitalization and medication costs.

An estimated 1.1 million women will be covered, but those who give birth at hospitals in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and elsewhere will be disqualified.

Under the new terms, subsidies will be paid to new mums for 90 days, with 15 days added to paid maternity leave if they experience difficulties during delivery. If they have twins, another 15 days of leave will be added.

"Currently, some employers are unwilling to hire female workers. That is largely because they think they will have to pay more if they have children," Wang Dexiu, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security, told Xinhua News Agency.

"With the adoption of the new regulations, all urban enterprises have to pay into the fund, whether they employ female workers or not."

Wang said he believed the adoption of the system would promote fairer employment opportunities for women.

"Meanwhile, the system will benefit businesses that have comparatively larger numbers of female workers," Wang said.

If an enterprise refuses to contribute to the scheme, it will have to pay women workers fixed amounts directly, according to Wang. More details about the regulation will be released to the public before the middle of the year.

(China Daily February 2, 2005)