Ever since the country introduced the policy allowing all couples to have three children a heated debate has been raging on how long paternity leave should be.

Some experts have even suggested a month-long "paid leave" for fathers, which, many believe, will help reduce gender discrimination at the workplace, enhance the relationship between husband and wife, and strengthen father-child bond.

Maternity leave makes people think of women's rights and interests, but many forget that China also has something called "paternity leave". Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has adhered to the policy of gender equality, and placed high priority on protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women and children.

Maternity leave has been extended from 56 days in 1951 to 98 days after extensions in 1988 and 2012. Since 2013, maternity leave has been further extended and paternity leave introduced in many places. However, paternity leave is only for seven days in many regions, a duration many believe is negligible.

There is a rising consensus that although fathers play an indispensable role in a child's growth, many families are still in a state of "widowed parenting", where mothers carry out the daily routine of raising children while fathers remain "bystanders".

The absence of fathers' involvement in raising a child is ascribed to high work pressure, difficulty getting paid leave, and gender discrimination at work. The proposal to extend paternity leave is, therefore, an attempt to "liberate" fathers from work and get them more involved in childcare.

Raising a child is not just a woman's task. In fact, taking care of both the mother and child are the father's responsibility.

Maternity leave and the maternity insurance system are all about protecting the rights and interests of workers of childbearing age. Therefore, encouraging fathers to take more parenting responsibilities can not only reduce discrimination against women at the workplace, but also improve couples' desire to have children. Extending paid paternity leave might actually boost women's willingness to bear children.

In the "three-child" policy era, it makes sense to build a child-friendly society and introduce more policies to solve practical problems. Also, no matter how well-designed the policies are, their implementation is the key.