One child policy scrapped, but reproduction is still a planned business

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Although China lifted the One Child Policy more than a year ago, companies and organizations still haven’t quite warmed up to the new rules, with a ‘second baby boom’ now leading to serious understaffing, especially among female employees.

That was the problem facing the urological department at the famed Tangdu Hospital in Xi’an this year. And the hospital tried to deal with it in a very old-fashioned way: through centrally planned reproduction for the department’s young nurses.

Problem of second child policy?

In March, after four of the 14 nurses announced they were expecting a baby in the coming year, the department asked their remaining colleagues to agree to a schedule regulating their future pregnancies, to ensure there was always sufficient staff in the hospital.

When one of the nurses, Mrs. Guo, accidentally conceived a second child in July, the hospital told her that if she didn’t follow the planned schedule, she should resign immediately or seek an abortion.

Screenshots of Guo's conversation with the hospital.

Guo said she had signed the deal, and even considered giving up her baby. But aged 35, she decided to keep it and sacrifice her work instead. Guo said she wasn’t fired but her name was taken off the planning. All her bonuses were gone and she has been only receiving minimum wage.

In another high-profile case a few months ago, a Beijing hospital tried to fire a nurse who got pregnant when the hospital was short-handed. The case got heavy coverage in Western and local media, which eventually led the hospital to reverse its decision to fine the nurse.

Pregancy: a major glass ceiling for female employers?

Wu Youshui, a lawyer who specializes in family planning, says such agreements drafted by the hospital are not legally binding. If the hospital fires Mrs. Guo, it will violate labor law.

But Wang He, manager of Tangdu Hospital’s urological department, is not backing down: the department would be unable to operate if too many nurses get pregnant at the same time, he insists.

(Adapted from thePaper.cn)