A couple takes care of their child. Photo: VCG

 "Whenever I took my baby out, I used to worry about where to change her diaper or feed her. Now that there is a parenting room where men can also go in, I feel that my role as a father is respected," a new father surnamed Yang told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Fathers take active role

Since the beginning of this year, parenting rooms that allow fathers to enter have been set up in many shopping malls in many locales. These rooms are fully equipped, providing cold and hot water, heated wipes, formula preparation areas and changing tables. This initiative has been well received, especially among fathers.

The establishment of parenting rooms has been widely welcomed because it addresses the pain points of many families and meets the genuine needs of fathers. As one father mentioned, "I used to be hesitant to enter nursing rooms with my child. Some nursing rooms even had signs saying 'No Men Allowed.' Even if the room was empty, I was afraid passersby would find it strange to see a man. Having a parenting room that fathers can use is much more convenient."

When asked why they set up the parenting room, staff at the Beijing Chaoyang Joy City shopping mall explained to the Global Times that it was in response to customer demand. On the surface, this is a business practice that enhances service and shows consideration for customers, but it also aligns with social development trends and reflects respect for human nature.

Most importantly, this considerate practice corrects some people's stereotypes about family parenting, Yang said. In other words, raising children is not only the mother's duty but also the father's responsibility. Fathers participating in childcare is an obligation that should be fulfilled. In this process, setting up parenting rooms in places like shopping malls helps highlight the role of fathers in parenting and promotes the civilized concept.

According to a Global Times reporter who visited the parenting room at the Beijing Chaoyang Joy City, it is equipped with automatic doors and curtains, clearly separating the breastfeeding area from the changing area. Fathers can change their children's diapers in the changing area, while the breastfeeding area remains a private space for mothers.

Meanwhile, staff at the Beijing Huiduogang Shopping Center stated that the mall has also set up a parenting room. "Some fathers find it inconvenient to use nursing rooms when they bring their children to the mall," the staff told the Global Times. The mall also has several nursing rooms for mothers, and they carefully consider all reasonable suggestions and feedback.

In addition to Beijing, shopping malls in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and other cities have also successively set up similar parenting rooms.

In March, a netizen posted on social media that they had discovered a dedicated "daddy's room" at a Tianhong supermarket in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. 

The room was easily recognizable by the eye-catching "Super Dad Zone" sign on the door and a glowing blue milk bottle icon. Inside, the facility was fully equipped with cold and hot water, a baby wipes warmer, a formula preparation area and a changing table. Adjacent to it was a larger "nursing room" designed for mothers, complete with several curtained partitions to offer more privacy.

A local resident surnamed Zheng said that the attention drawn to the "daddy's room" reflects evolving social dynamics, with more fathers actively participating in childcare. It also highlights the improved management and service awareness of city administrators and business operators. "Integrating facilities based on usage habits can also help avoid resource waste," he added.

Changing social attitudes

Nursing rooms being gradually transformed into parenting rooms represents not just a change in name but also a significant shift in societal attitudes, Song Jian, deputy director of the Population Development Studies Center at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday. It challenges the traditional notion that "childbearing and childcare are solely women's responsibilities" and encourages greater male involvement in parenting, thereby promoting gender equality in family duties. 

For a long time, women have shouldered most of the pressures associated with childbirth and childcare, which not only impacts their career development — such as the creation of gendered roles like "mommy jobs" — but also reduces their desire to have children, the expert noted. 

Against the backdrop of persistently low birth rates, the excessive societal expectations placed on women have made many hesitant about marriage and parenthood. Starting with small steps, such as adjusting the naming and design of facilities to emphasizing shared parenting responsibilities between men and women, can help create a more supportive social environment, according to Song. 

This alleviates the sense of isolation and burden felt by women and, to some extent, makes them more enthusiastic about having children. Such changes, though seemingly minor, are an important step toward promoting population growth, social fairness and progress, Song said.

Outside a parenting room in another shopping mall in Beijing, a couple told the Global Times that the gender-neutral nursing room has given them more confidence in the future parenting environment. 

"In the past, most were designated as mother-and-baby rooms, but having to both breastfeed and change diapers alone often felt overwhelming. Gradually, I became reluctant to take my child out," said the mother surnamed Li. "Later, my husband raised this issue with the mall, and to our surprise, they took action quickly. Now, I can comfortably prepare milk while he handles diaper changes. Taking our child out is no longer a burden, and honestly, it has made me less fearful and resistant to the idea of having a second child."

From the widespread adoption of nursery rooms to the emergence of parenting rooms, the evolution of public services has always been accompanied by discussion and refinement. "Its progress lies not only in the improvement of facilities but also in the courage to respond to the needs of the times. When fathers confidently open the door to a parenting room, they step into not just a physical space but also a future where parenting responsibilities are equalized and public services are humanized," Yang said.

As one netizen put it on Sina Weibo, Chinese X-like social media platform: "Parenting rooms are not a replacement for nursing rooms but a supplement to parenting scenarios; they do not diminish the role of mothers but rather awaken the responsibility of fathers. As more shopping malls, train stations and hospitals embrace this spatial innovation, and as 'shared parenting' moves from concept to practice, we take another step closer to building a truly fertility-friendly society."