Number of Female NPC Deputies Rises

 March 14, 2014
Number of Female NPC Deputies Rises
Six female deputies to China's National People's Congress (NPC) give a press conference to the second session of the 12th NPC on the protection of women's rights in Beijing, capital of China, March 12, 2014. [Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu]
The number of female deputies in China's top legislature has been on the rise, said a deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) at a news conference during China's "two sessions" on the afternoon of March 12, 2014. 
 
According to Lin Yinmao, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, the Chinese government is trying hard to promote the state policy of gender equality.
 
Lin said that the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress persistently highlights the  role played by women in political participation, and the local law stipulates that the ratio of women in the all-level people's congresses should grow exponentially year on year until parity is achieved. 
 
Lin pointed out that the ratio of female deputies in the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress has reached a record high of 31.7 percent, and all neighborhood committees and village committees now have at least one female representative. 
 
The ratio of female deputies in the 2013 NPC also reached a record high with 23.4 percent – or 699 out of a total of 2,987 – being women.
 
According to a Guangzhou Daily report, the 10th NPC held in 2007 clarified the desired ratio of female deputies for the first time, and stated that the proportion of female deputies to the 11th NPC should be no less than 22 percent, further helping bolster women's influence on major polices, and reflect women's rights and interests. 
 
The percentage of female deputies in China's top legislature has remained at around 20 percent since the election of the Fifth NPC deputies in 1978. 
 
(Source: Guangzhou Daily/Translated by womenofchina.cn)
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