SHANGHAI — Julia Li has spent much of the past few years wrestling with a dilemma: She was married, in her late 30s, and still undecided about whether to start a family. Li had been putting off having children for years, but now she was running out of time — and excuses. Her family and friends were urging her to have a baby on an … Continue reading China Is Pushing for a Baby Boom. It’s Getting a Baby Bust.
He Jun still finds it awkward when people ask him what he does for work. After he answers, their first reaction is usually to assume he must be rich. Then, when they realize that’s not the case, the mood shifts. “They say they admire me, but I think they start to look at me differently,” He tells Sixth Tone. “After all, society doesn’t approve of … Continue reading From Patriarch to Peppa Pig: China’s New, Softer Generation of Dads
SICHUAN, Southwest China — When Xiao Renchun was four months pregnant in 2011, her belly had already grown much larger than expected. Even for a resident of Guxian Town, which has a high birth rate for twins, her stomach looked enormous. She visited a county clinic for an ultrasound, which showed she was pregnant with triplets. Thinking this couldn’t possibly be true, she visited a … Continue reading The Maybe-Magic Well Water of Twins Town
In a national first, the eastern province of Jiangsu has drafted a law for “joint parenting leave” for fathers to promote equal employment and collaborative child-rearing, local media reported Wednesday. Fathers in China already have seven to 30 days of paid paternity leave, depending on local regulations, though this is termed “birth companion leave.” In June, the provincial law office of Jiangsu — which currently … Continue reading Jiangsu Drafts Law for Fairer Parenting, More Paternity Leave
From his first day at school, Sun Bin, now 21, was bullied for being feminine, a “sissy.” “I’m used to being called a faggot or a pervert,” said Sun, who is now a junior at a university in central China’s Henan province. There’s one instance from primary school that Sun will never forget. A dozen or so female classmates one day picked him up, carried … Continue reading China’s LGBT Youth Face Lots of Bullying, Little Acceptance
When East Meets West 