Chinese Father’s Day ad on three-child policy criticised for advising women how to have babies
China now allows couples to have three children after scrapping a stringent two children policy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Chinese Father’s Day ad featuring eight men encouraging people to consider the country’s new three-child policy and advising women on the best practices to have healthy babies, has come under fire from social media users.
China allowed couples to have three kids after scrapping a two children policy which replaced a single child diktat after census data showed a steep decline in birth rates.
The three-children policy has since remained a matter of contention among people who say it adds to distress and pressure. Some raised the issues of rising house prices, education costs, and impact on women’s career.
The video was circulated on Chinese social media platforms, featuring the men who spoke in support of the three-child policy while discussing the issues related to it, reported South China Morning Post.
One of the fathers suggested that women should exercise and have nutritious food to give birth to a healthy baby — even potential mothers who might be “getting older.”
Another man in the video talked about the concerns of a woman’s career coming to standstill or losing her job after having a child. He said having the third child would provide an opportunity to women who are considering switching careers.
Others in the video talked about both mother and father sharing the responsibility of parenthood and people indulging in “involute” expenses for a child’s education. The video concluded with the line: “Having three children is not easy, but it’s not easy to make fathers feel daunted.”
The video riled several social media users who criticised it for not having a point of view of women and being “unrealistic.”
“When men are able to have babies, then you can start talking about having a third child,” a Chinese social media platform Weibo user said. “You don’t understand how difficult this is for women.”
“All the questions raised in the video were realistic ones, but none of the answers were practical,” said another adding that there is no solution to these issues and “having a third child will lead to immense pressure on the mother’s mental and physical health.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments