By LI Rujia
Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency, announced its latest maternity package on June 30.
The package is available to all employees who have worked at the company for more than three years, regardless of gender or nationality. New parents will receive an extra payment of 10,000 yuan (about US$1380.7) per year for the first five years of their baby's life. Trip.com expects the plan to cost about 1 billion yuan, making it the most costly among similar plans by other internet companies.
As the labor-force participation rate continues to rise, corporations are creating a favorable environment for starting families. Several major enterprises have launched schemes that include cash bonuses and paid leave.
As early as December 2015, Trip.com started to provide incentives and facilities for expectant. Trip.com's founder LIANG Jianzhang, also a demographic expert, believes that up to 5 percent of GDP should be spent to raise the birth rate to 1.6.
Engaging in the process of encouraging births requires careful consideration as it runs the risk of reinforcing existing gender inequalities in the workplace.
According to a survey conducted by the Women’s Studies Institute of China, maternity and paternity leave are gaining traction, but only a few companies have joined in.
