QINGDAO: In a bid to support work-life balance for mothers and foster a fertility-friendly society, the port city of Qingdao in east China’s Shandong Province has launched a “mommy position” program, offering flexible job opportunities tailored to the needs of working mothers.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the first wave of such positions includes over 600 jobs in catering, housekeeping, and handicrafts, alongside more than 500 emerging roles in fields such as social media, livestream e-commerce, decluttering services, and companions for medical visits. This initiative is part of the city’s efforts to promote high-quality and full employment, ensuring women enjoy better job opportunities, particularly as China has relaxed its childbirth policy to allow families to have up to three children.
Mothers with two or three children have found it challenging to balance their careers and family responsibilities, a gap that the “mommy positions” aim to fill, said Dong Haibo, director of the city’s public emplo
yment and talent service center.
As part of the program, a local food processing plant has employed 25 mothers in its selection and packaging workshop, where they are responsible for selecting and packaging fruit and vegetable chips. Zhao Jinye, the company’s general manager, emphasized the advantages of flexible work schedules for female employees, which facilitate easier leave-taking when necessary.
Zhao noted that during peak production periods, the company often struggles to recruit workers at short notice. “The integration of these working mothers into the workforce has brought the company a renewed vitality, which is mutually beneficial for both the company and the mothers,” she stated.
Xia Yu, an employee at the company, shared her experiences, explaining that she struggled to care for her two children in her previous job. With the flexible schedule provided by the “mommy position,” she now has the time to manage her children’s school routine and homework, reducing her stress about balancing fami
ly and work. Xia earns over 3,000 yuan (about 417 U.S. dollars) per month through this arrangement.
Qingdao’s initiative is in line with a September notice from Shandong Province encouraging the adoption of the “mommy position” employment model to support women of legal working age who care for children under 12 years old. In October, China introduced new policy measures to build a fertility-friendly society, detailing 13 targeted measures, including improved education, housing, and employment support.
The directive encourages employers to adopt flexible working hours, telecommuting, and other measures to create a family-friendly work environment. Liu Yanwu, a professor from the School of Sociology at Wuhan University, commented that “mommy positions” not only offer flexible employment options for stay-at-home mothers but also contribute to a family-friendly work atmosphere, enhancing public willingness to have children.
