For Chinese feminists who have campaigned for more parity between sexes in workplace, a recent call for equality may have trapped them in dilemma.
"I suggest government adjust the early retirement age of women, which has made us politically and economically unprivileged," said Xu Chonghua, female deputy from Anhui Province, at the top legislative meeting.
China allows female cadres to retire at 55 and women workers at 50, five years earlier than men. But Xu deemed this gender division stipulated by a 1978 statute to be dated and problematic.
"Take female officials for example, earlier retirement brings down the age cap on promotion. So a woman in her fifties, the golden age for a politician, already has her nose pressed on the glass ceiling," said Xu.
"Women who retire early also have their pension and welfare benefits shortened as a result of a shorter length of service," Xu added.
Xu's proposal to either postpone women's retirement age or make the age in line with men's, followed a statement by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS), which said an extensive review of women's retirement age was afoot.
The statement set off a firestorm of public opinions, and the fiery debate on whether the age should be buoyed or reduced have raged from online forums into the Great Hall of People, where the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, is holding its yearly plenary session.
Many sociologists echo Xu's suggestion, arguing that restoring equality in the retirement age is becoming imperative as the Chinese society quickly ages.
"Given women's longer life expectancy, the current retirement age is just too low," said Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology at the Peking University.
The increase in this regard, so to speak, can supplement the shrinking supply of young labors, while easing the financial burden on the pension provision.
Yin Weimin, minister of MHRSS, Thursday said the country's pension system is now facing mounting pressures from the ballooning elderly population.
Yin said Chinese above 60 reached 170 million this year, or 12.8 percent of the total population. Data released by the UN predicts that 30 percent of the population will be over 60 by 2050.
But while China is on its way to becoming the world's most aged society, Chinese women can stop paying premiums and leave their jobs with full pension at a young age compared to women in other countries. For example, women in Italy and the United States cannot receive full pension until 60 and 67, respectively.
Song Meiya, a feminist activist at Modern Women Newspaper, said since the age was set at an early stage of modernization, it gave more attention to laboring women.
"But with the age of brain fading in, the role of brawn has dropped in society, and women in many occupations work no differently from their male colleagues," said Song.
"The old rules now work against our right of labor and have undoubtedly caused a waste of human resources," said Song.
REALITY BITES
The proposal of delayed retirement, however, caught national attention after many pragmatic-minded Chinese rushed to pour vitriol on it. On the Internet, opposition runs high over the potential increase in premium payments and occupation of positions for the young.
Xiao Hongjuan, one female deputy from Hubei Province, said the arguments in favor of the delay are only speaking for women in the office, while female laborers may favor just the opposite.
"Many of my co-workers in the assembly line are praying for an earlier retreat, as their increasing age and declining health prevent them from performing well at work," said Li Hongjin, a textile worker and a deputy from Hubei.
Experts say that the divide in public opinion suggests that the real problem behind this feminist debate is the widening income gap.
"If the payment and welfare at work are satisfactory, why are so many people so eager to retire?" asked Wang Jianqiang, researcher with Hebei Academy of Social Science.
"The fact is that the benefits of work for female workers are far lower than for female cadres. That's why they respond to the retirement issue so much differently," said Wang.
One NPC committee earlier proposed a "flexible retirement age" of women, or one that can vary according to circumstances of different sectors and jobs.
The Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee also proposed that women be given the right to decide if they will retire earlier than the standard age.
"The key is to fully respect the needs of women from all social strata," said Wang.
