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Agence France-Presse

Li Meng is a devoted mother trying to support her two-year-old daughter, but in the eyes of Chinese society and the state, she is almost a second-class citizen.
Millions of single mothers like her have it rough in a country where out-of-wedlock births are frowned upon, and where only married women can claim maternity benefits.
Li, a Shanghai resident, got pregnant with her boyfriend, but he left her to raise the child by herself.
Ineligible for maternity leave because she was not married, she had to quit her job in real estate to take care of her baby.
“There was a lot of resistance [to having the baby]. My mother said I was crazy,” said Li, who used a pseudonym to avoid being further stigmatised.
“She thought it was unacceptable for a traditional family in China.”


The Chinese government in 2016 scrapped its long-time “one-child policy” and began encouraging citizens to have more children as the birth rate drops in the world’s most populous country.
But benefits such as several months of paid maternity leave and medical coverage are still reserved only for married women.
When Li tried to secure her maternity rights, she was stymied by her lack of a marriage certificate, forcing her into an exhausting quest that bounced her between multiple government agencies.
“It’s like they’re kicking a football between each other,” she said.
Frustrated, she filed a pending court case.
A 2019 report by a government-affiliated research institute estimated China had more than 19 million single mothers, including divorcees and widows.
They are stuck in a catch-22, said lawyer Dong Xiaoying, who has formed a legal support network for single mothers.
“There’s no direct law stating that having a child out of wedlock is illegal … but it also doesn’t explicitly say it is not illegal,” she said.
This puts women at the mercy of differing interpretations by local governments.
China must lift all birth restrictions amid demographic crisis, delegates urge
China’s National Health Commission went as far as saying in 2017 that out-of-wedlock births were “against the public order and against good morals”.
The experience of Wang Ruixi, an online advocate for single mothers who has a young daughter of her own, shows how they face more than just bureaucratic indifference.
After the outspoken 30-year-old last year expressed her pride online at raising her child alone, she faced a torrent of abuse on social media.
She eventually left China and now lives in Europe.
“I can take the discrimination and abuse,” she said. “But I don’t want my child to grow up in such an environment.”
Still, there are some flickers of hope.
Since 2016, children of single parents have finally been allowed to obtain the local household registration status crucial for gaining access to government services such as schooling and health care.
The government has sought to promote marriage and child-bearing after China in 2020 saw its lowest number of marriage registrations in 17 years, partly because of improving educational and career options for women.


China’s national legislature met in Beijing earlier this month, with at least two members calling for measures to help single mothers, but it is not clear whether they will gain any traction.
A fundamental cultural shift is needed, Dong said, and “it’s impossible to change all at once”.
Yu, a 37-year-old single mother in Shanghai who declined to give her full name, has a two-year-old son.
Yu split up with the boy’s father after he told her to “disappear” when she asked him to help support their child, she said, tears streaming down her face.
Raising the boy by herself, she has waged a fierce but futile fight for maternity benefits.
“Everything I did has been useless,” she said.
Is a demographic turning point just around the corner for China?
Local authorities even called her boss to complain about Yu’s persistence, but she is undeterred.
“We should fight for [our rights] so at least we don’t have regrets,” she said.
Many women have found inspiration in the family story of Chinese-American freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who became a sensation in the country with her gold-medal performance at last month’s Beijing Olympics.
Her mother Yan Gu, who raised Eileen herself, has become a model for Chinese single mothers, drawing praise online as an example of the successful children they can raise.
Yu said she had friends who had nuclear families, as well as gay couples and heterosexual partners who have chosen not to have children.
“All of these family structures should be seen as normal,” she said.


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Women and gender

Despite China’s push to lift birth rate, single mothers must fight for their rights

Single mothers in China feel they are treated as second-class citizens, with no right to paid maternity leave or medical coverage. Photo: AFP

As China’s graduates delay employment, experts warn of ‘far-reaching’ economic and demographic implications

Many of China’s university graduates are opting to take their time before entering the workforce, while others are forgoing high-paying private positions for less-demanding civil service positions. Photo: Getty Images

Why are China’s Gen Z women rejecting marriage, kids more than their male counterparts?

Many of China’s Gen Z women are looking to break free from the shackles of marriage and children, to live for themselves. Illustration: Kakuen Lau

China population: demographic window of opportunity ‘will shut soon’ as births drop, ageing crisis deepens

Mothers in China gave birth to just 10.62 million babies last year, an 11.5 per cent drop from 2020, which contributed to an overall population increase of just 480,000. Photo: AFP

China’s working aged population aged between 16 and 59 last year stood at 882.22 million, representing 62.5 per cent of the population. Photo: Xinhua

China population: 2021 birth data to offer fresh insight into demographic crisis

Annual data on Monday should show whether China’s total births and birth rate hit record lows in 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Annual data on Monday should show whether China’s total births and birth rate hit record lows in 2021. Photo: Shutterstock

Shanghai single mother gets maternity insurance after three-year legal battle with China’s government

Single mothers in China are entitled to maternity insurance, but for Chris Zou it has been a long fight against discrimination to obtain. Photo: Getty

Chris Zou, a single mother, and her now four-year-old son Xinxin, in a boat on a lake in Shanghai, China. Photo: Chris Zou

Zou and her son Xinxin. Photo: Chris Zou 

Chris Zou’s now four-year-old son Xinxin, looking at the chassis and engine of a car, in Shanghai, China. Photo: Chris Zou

News

China

People & Culture

Gender & Diversity


2019 report estimates China has more than 19 million single mothers, including divorcees and widows
Benefits such as several months of paid maternity leave and medical coverage are still reserved only for married women



Benefits such as several months of paid maternity leave and medical coverage are still reserved only for married women.


China society

China's population

China’s population policy

Despite China’s push to lift birth rate, single mothers must fight for their rights

2019 report estimates China has more than 19 million single mothers, including divorcees and widows Benefits such as several months of paid maternity leave and medical coverage are still reserved only for married women

2019 report estimates China has more than 19 million single mothers, including divorcees and widows

Benefits such as several months of paid maternity leave and medical coverage are still reserved only for married women