Single children in Zhejiang given 5-day vacation to see parents

A community volunteer helps a senior resident solve a computer problem in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Nov 14, 2018. [Photo/IC]

Young people in Zhejiang will get more time to care for their aging parents, according to a newly released regulation from the Zhejiang People's Congress on Thursday. 

For families with only one child, if one of the child's parents is over 60, the child can take five days off to accompany their parents every year, with the child's salary, bonuses and other social benefits remaining, according to the regulation.

It was also stipulated that women who give birth to their first baby can extend their maternity leave by another 60 days for a total of 158 days and for those who have second or third children, maternity leave can be extended by 90 days for a total of 188.

At the same time, both fathers and mothers can enjoy 10 days of parental leave each year if they have a child younger than 3.

To protect the legal rights and interests of one-child families, governments at or above the county level should establish and improve support systems for the elderly and give them more care in areas such as daily living, healthcare and nursing.

Fang Xiaoying in Hangzhou contributed to this story.