Official urges same-age retirement for women

By Chen Jia (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-04 10:28

Women should not be made to retire from the civil service at the age of 55, five years earlier than men, All-China Women's Federation Chairwoman Chen Zhili said at a work conference on Thursday in Beijing.

"I hope an alternative policy can be considered for State-run institutions in Beijing to allow their women employees to retire at the same age as their male counterparts if they so wish," Chen said.

Chinese law currently requires female public servants to retire at 55, five years earlier than their male counterparts.

A number of lawmakers have already called for a change in the law, and a legislative hearing on the issue is in the works, the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress said in January.

"Getting women civil servants to retire at 55 is a terrible waste of human resources, particularly for those who have doctorates or master's degrees," Jiang Yongping, director of the federation's women's research institute, said on Friday.

"They spend a longer time on education, but this in turn means a shorter working life," she said.

However, women who work for private companies, factories or other industries that mostly involve manual labor are against the call for an equal working period because they do not want to take the risk of being laid off in the additional five years and so risk losing any pension or retirement benefits, she said.

"That's why an alternative policy is needed to encourage women to make the best choices according to their own situations," she said.

Jiang Lin, 26, an English translator for a government institution, said. "When our average life expectancy is longer, why should we retire early?"