Professor draws fire for views on retirement age

Photo: screenshot from One-Seventh, a news program produced by Radio and Television Shanghai

(ECNS) -- A professor at Tsinghua University has aroused an influx of criticism for her opinions about delaying retirement.

During an interview on One-Seventh, a news program produced by Radio and Television Shanghai, Yang Yansui, a labor expert at the university, suggested that the government should lift the retirement age to 65, although citizens could choose to retire earlier on their own.

The retirement age in the United States is 67 and China should borrow from its experience, she added.

When asked what a citizen would live on for the next 15 years if he retires at 50, Yang said men could do gardening at nursing homes and women could do laundry.

A draft reform document by Tsinghua University suggested that the government should extend the retirement age from 60 to 65 by 2030, which has aroused a nationwide debate over pension plans. Yang was one of the main drafters of the document.