Countdown to the 9-in-1 election, Li Xin 8 appeals to the mayoral candidates to implement gender-friendliness

The nine-in-one election will be held at the end of the year, and local county and mayor candidates have also entered the policy discussion stage. The Lixin Social Welfare Foundation today (15th) proposed eight gender-friendly policy demands, focusing on the four major aspects of "residential safety for victims of domestic violence," "professional support for victims of sexual harassment in the workplace," "female employment and child care needs," and "gender equality training and child protection for residential care staff." It is hoped that the candidates will turn the first-line needs into policies for specific promotion and review by local governments.

Lixin pointed out that in terms of residential support for violent women, three demands were made. First, the development of decentralized shelters, halfway houses and multiple residential supports to avoid the impact of far-flung shelter locations on living arrangements. The second is to improve their priority in obtaining social housing and improve their housing difficulties. It is advocated to reserve at least 3% of the quota for them. The third is to promote the integration of social housing with community supportive services to reduce the burdens on childcare, family, and employment.

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In terms of workplace sexual safety, Lixin requested that local governments should provide employers with practical training, case handling consultation and external professional referrals, and that labor authorities should provide at least two "specialized legal consultation sessions on workplace sexual harassment" every month to provide professional assistance.

In terms of women's employment and childcare support, Lixin also has three demands. The first is to expand fixed-point and night-time daycare services. It is recommended that counties and cities gradually achieve "at least one fixed-point daycare center per administrative district" and set up at least one service until 10 p.m. Second, it is recommended that local governments increase the working hours flexibility of childcare parents through measures such as incentives, subsidies, or workplace-friendly certification. The third is to relax the application and waitlist qualifications for public care and public kindergarten to include families who are looking for jobs, preparing to return to the workplace, or in the stage of employment transition.

In terms of gender equality training and child protection in residential care, Li Xin pointed out that there are still gaps in gender equality education standards for workers in different child care fields. It is recommended that local governments include at least 3 hours of gender equality courses every two years in the vocational training of existing child care personnel, with the goal of 80% of staff completing the course. It is also recommended that gender friendliness be included in child care service evaluation or reward indicators.

Lixin hopes that candidates for county mayors will incorporate the above eight demands into their political opinions, and propose specific promotion timelines and verifiable results, so as to make gender-friendliness a part of local governance and jointly create a friendly city that is safer, more equal and can respond to the needs of diverse lives.