Single mothers in China face higher legal hurdles from 'outdated' policies
For Beijing mother Yu Jun, family is simple but means everything to her – a life of two, with her four-year-old daughter Yueyue.
Yu, 46, an English-language tutor, lives in a small but comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the Haidian district. Divorced, she said she did not believe in love and leaning on a man. But she disliked the loneliness in her life, “eating instant noodles and frozen dumplings every day”, living without a goal and any desire.
Her life took a turn when she got pregnant after a date. “I decided to give birth to her so I can live for her,” said Yu. Her daughter was born on August 10, 2009, and the father disappeared.
For four years, my daughter has not gained a legal identity. This is killing us because she cannot enter public school and get health care without an ID
Then trouble followed. Yu could not file household registration, or hukou, for her daughter because she was single and the father was missing.
“For four years, my daughter has not gained a legal identity. This is killing us because she cannot enter public school and get health care without an ID,” Yu said.
Before her daughter was born, Yu made an anonymous phone call to a family planning committee in a neighbouring community to ask about her situation.
It turned out Yu’s case was in a grey area not defined by law. According to China’s family planning policy, only married women with no children can get a birth permit. And usually no birth permit means no legal identification for the child.