by Xinhua writer Yue Xitong
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- There's a subtle change happening in China's public spaces: the restrictive "Women Only" signs on nursing rooms are being retired. Instead, inclusive "Family Rooms" are opening their doors to fathers, signaling a broader shift toward shared parenting.
In a cozy baby-care room at a shopping center in Beijing's Dongcheng District, Wang Gang (a pseudonym) skillfully changed his 10-month-old daughter's diaper and prepared some formula. A welcoming sign at the entrance designates this space as a "Family Room."
Functionally on par with the previous "Mother-and-Baby Rooms," this upgraded facility offers a sink with hot water, a diaper-changing station, disinfectant wipes, diapers and baby bottle cleaners if needed. Crucially, it resolves a long-standing dilemma for fathers like Wang.
In the past, Wang would hesitate to use such areas marked "No Men Allowed," even if they were empty. "I had to either turn to the staff for help or just change my kid's diaper on the stairs," he recalled.
This infrastructural upgrade reflects a growing recognition that parenting is no longer the sole domain of mothers. As family structures evolve and dual-income households become more commonplace, Chinese fathers are shedding the distant-breadwinner stereotype in favor of active involvement in child-rearing.
To bridge the gap between modern needs and traditional facilities designed for breastfeeding privacy, cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have introduced "Super Dad Zones." In northwestern Xi'an, renovated rooms now feature clear zoning to separate breastfeeding areas from open caring spaces, while the airport in Zhengzhou, central China, has dedicated a 150-square-meter zone for both childcare and amusement.
Experts view these changes as a microcosm of China's push to build a birth-friendly society.
"For a long time, childcare was viewed as the bounden duty of mothers," said Wu Wenfang, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. This entrenched idea, Wu added, has increased physical and mental burdens on women, and impeded their career development, dampening the willingness to have children.
Beyond physical infrastructure, to encourage childbirth, China has introduced a robust portfolio including financial and legislative support over the past year. As a result, a social atmosphere that welcomes more babies is gradually taking shape.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
High child-rearing costs -- covering childbirth, childcare and education -- are one of the main deterrents, according to Song Jian, a professor at the School of Population and Health, Renmin University of China.
To ease families' child-raising burden, the government has rolled out substantial incentives.
Effective this year, families with a child under age 3 can receive a tax-free lump sum of 3,600 yuan (about 510 U.S. dollars) of childcare subsidies each year, which will be adjusted on a prorated basis for eligible subsidy periods under one year.
Yue Kaixin, a mother of two in Liaocheng, east China's Shandong Province, has directly benefited. "The subsidy is large enough to cover my daughter's tuition fees for half a year," she told Xinhua.
As of November, more than 31 million residents nationwide had applied for such childcare subsidies online.
Local governments are also stepping up. Tianmen City in central China's Hubei Province, for instance, introduced a policy package including delivery subsidies, maternity leave allowances, and cutting medical expenses during pregnancy. Consequently, the city reported a 17 percent year-on-year growth in the number of newborns in 2024, far outpacing the national average of 5.8 percent.
Education costs are also being addressed. Measures such as waiving care and education fees for the final year of kindergarten, starting from the autumn semester this year, have brought tangible relief for families like Yue's.
For her household, the exemption represents a significant saving. "Previously, we would have paid about 10,000 yuan per year, equivalent to one fifth of my annual income," she said.
More financial support measures are set to be introduced in the future. Earlier this month, China unveiled a plan to ensure that the basic costs of childbirth are fully covered by insurance programs nationwide by 2026. Notably, this year's Central Economic Work Conference included fertility policy on its agenda, highlighting efforts to "stabilize the number of newborns."
MORE EXPECTATIONS
Despite these efforts, challenges remain.
Ms. Zhang, who lives in Zhengzhou in the populous Henan Province, has been married for three years but is still on the fence about having children.
"Having a child is no longer simply giving birth," Zhang sighed. "It is a big project covering childbirth, childcare and education, etc."
Zhang's concern resonates with many, a manifestation of the calling for a multipronged birth supportive system. Subsidies aside, China has expanded the coverage of childbirth insurance, extended maternity leave, and increased the supply of affordable childcare services.
Xin Chen, a mother of a girl shy of three in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, is planning to send her daughter to a community-based public-interest nursery. The institution cares for toddlers aged between 10 months and 3.6 years old.
Even though her mother-in-law helps out, Xin is still hoping for more nursery options, just in case grandma isn't available.
"I once considered hiring a babysitter, but gave up in the end -- it is too expensive," Xin admitted. "In addition, nursery teachers can help kids practice balance and hand-eye coordination, while grandparents won't," she added.
Responding to these needs, China is also accelerating legislative efforts. The country's first draft childcare services law has been reviewed for the first reading by national lawmakers last week. The bill aims to expand affordable childcare and regulate services.
Fathers have also raised expectations for policymakers, hoping to have longer parental leave to better fulfill their roles. Positively, many provinces have introduced 15-day paternity leave and childcare leave of 5 to 20 days.
"In the future, more and more fathers like me will become skilled in the daily tasks of childcare," Wang said, optimistic about a more balanced parenting culture. ■
