China province goes newlywed-friendly with longer marriage leave

HANGZHOU, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- East China's Zhejiang Province is becoming friendlier to newlyweds after it moved to extend marriage leave.

On Friday, the Standing Committee of the 14th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress, the local legislature, passed a regulation extending paid marriage leave from three to thirteen days.

The regulation took effect the same day.

Economic and social development and increased population mobility have led to a higher proportion of inter-city and inter-provincial marriages, accounting for about one-sixth and one-ninth, respectively, said Wang Renyuan, director of the Zhejiang provincial health commission.

As a result, the current three-day marriage leave is difficult to meet the time needed for pre-marital examination, marriage registration, wedding banquet, traveling between hometown and workplace, and honeymoon trip, Wang said.

Nationwide, 24 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have extended marriage leave with local regulations, Wang said. In the Yangtze River Delta region, marriage leave is ten days in Shanghai and 13 days in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

China's provincial-level regions have the autonomy to determine the length of marriage leave, often influenced by local customs and demographic policies.

Some regions have introduced generous benefits to encourage marriage and childbirth in response to demographic challenges. Shanxi Province, for example, offers newlywed couples 30 days of paid marriage leave.

"Since 2016, especially since 2023, there have been more public calls for the extension of marriage leave," Wang said. "Many provincial people's congress deputies and political advisors also have put forward relevant suggestions and proposals."

Local authorities in Zhejiang also hope to encourage marriage and childbirth by extending marriage leave. In recent years, the province has seen a decline in the number of marriages, while people are also marrying at an older age.

Local data showed that Zhejiang recorded 301,000 registered marriages in 2023, sharply down from 442,000 in 2012. Meanwhile, the average age of first marriage for women rose from 24.2 to 27.5.

Under the new regulation, employees who register their marriage under the law are entitled to 13 days of paid marriage leave within one year of registering their marriage. Holidays and weekends are not counted.

With the employer's consent, the validity date for marriage leave could be extended by half a year. Trade unions at all levels should fully participate in the consultation and effectively safeguard employees' and employers' rights and interests, said Lyu Zhiliang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress.

Couples may take their marriage leave in one go or in stages after consulting with their employer. People who married less than a year before the new regulation was adopted are still entitled to extended leave.

Extending marriage leave will not necessarily increase the birth rate, but such policies, including longer marriage leave and maternity leave, could have some impact on the operation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to Xu Ming'en, another member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress.

SMEs should be watched over the implementation of the regulation, and efforts should be made to protect the rights and interests of employees while taking into account their actual situation, as they often have a small number of employees, Xu said.