Confinement nurses

Thanks to a baby boom this year, the cost of hiring a confinement nurse, or yuesao in Chinese, can be more expensive than hiring a doctor. Some people have questioned whether such services are really value for money and call for government supervision, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

Compared with medical professionals, the job of a confinement nurse is short-term and less skilled. However, simply comparing the monthly income of a confinement nurse with that of a doctor and jumping to the conclusion that confinement nursing is not a value-for-money service reflects the stereotyped thinking that those undertaking physical labor must be paid less than those doing brainwork.

That is certainly not true. The media should stop overplaying the wages and recognize the demanding nature of the work. In fact, those who have ever employed a confinement nurse know how demanding the job can be, as a confinement nurse has to take care of the mother and the new born infant during the first month after childbirth, day and night. Such demanding work deserves good pay.

This is not just about confinement nurses. Many migrant workers are reported to have earned more than fresh college graduates in recent years, triggering a huge public outcry. It seems that when the stereotyped thinking cannot be reconciled with reality, people start to question whether these people are overpaid, but the truth is our society has no reason to deprive migrant workers and confinement nurses of the pay that they deserve.

Rather, we should ensure confinement nurses are justly paid and find out whether or not high commissions should take the blame for the bubble prices in the industry.

(China Daily 04/24/2012 page9)