Shanghai single mother gets maternity insurance after three-year legal battle with China’s government
- Unmarried mothers in China face a Catch-22 situation; they’re entitled to maternity benefits, but local governments require a marriage certificate
- China is facing a looming population cross as it confronts the twin realities of a declining birthrate and an ageing population
A single mother in Shanghai has finally received employer-provided maternity insurance after a three-year legal battle.
This makes Shanghai the second region in China after Guangdong province to give equal treatment to children born to unmarried single parents.
Zou’s case was the first lawsuit of its kind in China’s legal system.
Married couples in China are entitled to insurance and to subsidies through a programme that provides financial relief to women after having children.
Yet unmarried mothers often find themselves in a Catch-22 situation; they are entitled to the insurance by law, but local governments often require they prove their “childbearing status” which is impossible to prove without a marriage certificate.
Zou’s plight began in 2016 when she separated from her son’s father and later found out she was pregnant. In 2017 she applied for maternity insurance but was refused because she was not married.
