WUHAN/BEIJING: When Yang Shixiu leaves a mushroom-sorting workshop in Nanzhang county, Hubei province, at 5 pm, she arrives home just in time to greet her 14-year-old son returning from school. For the first 14 years as a stay-at-home mother, Yang had no personal income. Today, she earns between 3,000 and 3,500 yuan (RM1,744 and RM2,035) a month at the workshop. But the job offers more than financial security — her confidence has grown alongside her paycheck. “I used to feel anxious staying home all day without earning anything,” she said. “Now I can support myself and still take care of my child. Life feels fuller and more balanced.” READ MORE: Excelling against the odds Yang is part of a growing wave of women benefiting from China’s expanding “mom jobs” — an employment model formalized through national guidelines in 2022. The initiative encourages local governments and companies to provide jobs that are close to home, with predictable workloads and flexible hours for caregivers of young children. Cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing have already listed various positions in manufacturing, e-commerce, food processing, and community services. Hubei is among the first provinces to pilot a coordinated, province-wide program. In Nanzhang, community-level workshops have quickly become hubs for mothers seeking stable employment. The local government’s “Women Empowerment Plan” has established 371 women’s groups and 32 employment-support workshops linked to cooperatives and agricultural parks, creating a network of tailored job opportunities for women. “My world used to revolve only around my children,” said Han Yinyin, a mother of three. “Now I earn about 3,000 yuan (RM1,744) a month. I don’t have to count every penny anymore. I feel happier, I have colleagues to talk to, and I have a sense of value.” For many, flexibility is the biggest advantage. Liao Jiao, a drafter at a footwear company, completes most of her tasks before picking up her child from school. “If I want to earn more, I take drawings home,” she said. “My son does his homework next to me while I work. It feels fulfilling. This freedom gives me control over my life. My mood is better, and my health has improved, too.” Nanzhang has also strengthened its training programs for mothers to sustain these opportunities. The county invests 4 million yuan (RM2.32.million) annually in more than 40 skills courses — from e-commerce to housekeeping — which have benefited over 1,000 women this year alone. “Jobs for mothers should help women work with peace of mind,” said Luo Xingbin, Party secretary of Nanzhang. “This is not only about employment, but also about improving people’s well-being. Our goal is to make ‘mom jobs’ truly a ‘mom haven’.” Hubei’s approach is an early-stage experiment, making use of local strengths to create community-based positions that allow mothers to return to work without leaving their neighborhoods. At the same time, cities with different industrial structures are testing other models. In Shanghai, for example, the concept was reframed in 2024 as “family-friendly jobs”, with gender-neutral policies designed to support both […]
1天前
PETALING JAYA : Malaysians may have to pay more for their greens if the monsoon season continues to bring persistent rainfall, says the Malaysian Federation of Vegetable Farmers Association. Its president Lim Ser Kwee said recent flooding in several countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia had begun to push up prices of vegetables. “We import a large variety of vegetables from these three countries and the prices have increased recently due to the recent massive flooding there. “Also affected is the supply from China due to recent cold snaps affecting harvest,” he said when contacted yesterday. On the local front, Lim said while Cameron Highlands and several parts of the country may have escaped the recent floods, cloudy skies had also affected crop yields. “Luckily, Cameron Highlands and states such as Johor, Pahang and Melaka were not hit by heavy downpours and floods. “But the lack of sunshine affected the growing and maturing cycles of vegetables such as sawi bunga (Chinese flowering cabbage) and tomatoes,” he said. He cited the prices of tomatoes, which have increased to over RM5 per kg as compared to RM2 and RM4 per kg previously. It was also reported that prices of some local and imported vegetables had increased by between RM5 and RM8 per kg recently. Lim said the situation would worsen if states such as Johor and Pahang are hit with persistent rainfall during the monsoon. He added that the federation, which has over 6,000 members nationwide, has yet to determine the actual losses. “We have had reports of losses but so far, our members in Penang were not too badly affected.” According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the northeast monsoon will continue until March next year, bringing five to seven episodes of heavy rain, which could cause floods in low-lying and riverine areas. Last Thursday, MetMalaysia issued a warning for continuous heavy rain and strong winds over a large swathe of Peninsular Malaysia due to the development of the rare tropical storm Senyar in the Strait of Malacca. Cameron Highlands Vegetable Farmers Organisation president Datuk Chai Kok Lim said that vegetable farms in the highlands were not affected by recent floods. “It did not disrupt farming operations here and fortunately, the weather has been sunny over the past few days. “We hope that it remains this way but there is a fear that the monsoon will bring heavy rain again,” he said, adding that there were about 2,000 farmers in Cameron Highlands. Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has activated its disaster operation room to assist farmers, planters, livestock owners and fishermen affected by floods in several states. It was activated on Nov 28, following MetMalaysia’s forecasts for the current monsoon season.
5天前
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