A survey released by China Youth Daily on Tuesday showed that over 72 percent of respondents find "filial duty" leave necessary, while over 84 percent are concerned about the new leave.
Beijing recently adopted a plan to encourage employers to provide leave for employees to visit and take care of elderly members of their family on birthdays, or when they need help.
Filial duty leave is definitely a good move, said Zhang Xingshui, a Beijing-based lawyer, adding that office workers have considerable work pressure and often do not have siblings, so they may only see their parents or grandparents once a year.
"The encouragement of filial duty leave demonstrates the government's support for young people to care for the elderly. The leave also signals the rejuvenation of traditional culture," Li Wenzhao, an associate professor at Renmin University of China, told China Youth Daily.
However, the majority of those surveyed were concerned about filial duty leave, particularly regarding lack of enforcement, labor costs, and the unequal employer-employee relationship.
The survey had 2001 respondents, including employees of private companies, state-owned enterprises, foreign companies, government agencies as well as the self-employed and retired.
