Beijing +20: China's Development of Gender Equality

The year 2015 will witness the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The United Nations is to review the national reports of implementing the Beijing Platform for Action. Over two decades, China's government has included gender equality as a crucial component of fairness and justice in constructing a harmonious and well-off society. Women's rights are guaranteed by laws, economic measures, administration and public opinion.

1. Gender equality has been implemented as basic state policy, realizing its social value.

The principle of equality of men and women is clearly stated in China's constitution. At the opening ceremony of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, then Chinese president Jiang Zemin proposed gender equality as a basic state policy in advancing social development, improving this sense to a will of the state. Revised in 2005, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women established the legal status of gender equality, the direct reflection in Chinese law of the gender mainstream advocated by international communities. In 2012, ensuring the legal interests of women and children, the report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) confirmed this basic state policy again as a political commitment. Women's status, their rights, impact on the economy and developing production force would be ensured by the state will and legislative authority. The construction of an advanced gender culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics broke feudal thinking of the patriarchy. To realize gender equality in rights and resources in developing politics, the economy, culture and society, and to provide a greater share of the fruits of reform and development with women, basic state policies such as gender equality must be implemented to the letter. The basic principle and main connotations of scientific development and people-oriented ideas must also be highlighted, and the pioneering spirit of women must be respected. In 2013, "The Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms" was adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, proposing the elimination of all systemic obstacles and employment discrimination between urban and rural areas, and among different industries, identities and genders. These measures fully demonstrate the party's determination to promote gender equality in comprehensive reforms. On January 6，2014, Suggestions on the Implementing of Basic State Policy of Gender Equality in Gansu Province further proposed the construction of a system for equality of social gender, which included equality of rights, opportunity, regulation, and consequences as its major content. By the year 2018, a fairly sophisticated system of laws and regulations for gender equality is expected to be formed. Joint conference systems to implement gender equality will established respectively in provinces, cities and counties, to receive complaints about gender inequality from all sectors of the community and supervise the implementation of the basic state policy.

2. Programs for Chinese women's development have been established and implemented. Peaceful development of gender equality has been enhanced by target measures.

Since 1995, the State Council has established and implemented Program for the Development of Chinese Women during 1995-2000, 2001-2010 and 2011-2020. As the national program documents for women's development and gender equality in these different periods, the guidelines define objectives and responsibilities, improve the laws and regulations, design the best systems and execute the relevant policies, enhancing China's gender equality and women's development. In June 2011, the State Council released the Program for the Development of Chinese Women (2011-2020). Implementing the basic policy of gender equality throughout the document, the Guidelines advocate continuing construction of advanced gender culture and the implementation of women's actual rights at the same time. Moreover, issues concerning women and their social insurance were added to the guidelines, highlighting the government's concentration on women's livelihoods and humane care. Of the 57 major goals, 26 involve basic public services for women, advancing women's sustainable development with public policies of gender equality.

3. Ensuring gender equality in legislation, the legal system has been improved constantly to ensure women's rights and benefits.

With the constitution and the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests as the main bases, China has formulated a system of laws and regulations of different provinces and departments to protect women's rights and benefits and to advance gender equality. In 20 years, more than a score of legal documents has been issued or revised, including the Adoption Law, Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, Law on the Contracting of Rural Land, Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care, Population and Family Planning Law, Compulsory Education Law, Marriage Law, Law on Promotion of Employment, Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons, Measures for Implementation of the Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care, Regulations on Legal Aid, Regulation on the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS,  and the Regulation on Family Planning Work for the Migrant Population. By the end of 2013, 31 provinces (autonomous regions or cities) had revised their Measures for Implementation of the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, and the People's Congresses of 29 provinces (autonomous regions or cities) had formulated regulations to prevent domestic abuse. In 2014, the draft of Law on Family Violence was in consultation.

The principle of gender equality has been further embodied in making the law. In March 2013,the National People's Congress regulated in the Decision Regarding Revision of the Electoral Law of the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses of the People's Republic of China: "Deputies of national and local people's congresses at all levels should take diversity into account, therefore a sufficient number of deputies from the grass-roots population should be selected, especially from workers, farmers and intellectuals. The number of women deputies should reach an appropriate proportion, which should increase gradually." The amendment to the Organic Law of the Villagers Committees stipulates in article 6: "In Villagers' Committees, women should be part of the members," and article 23 says, "The proportion of women should be greater one third of all the villagers' representatives."

4. To achieve synchronous progress, women have been included in economic and social development plans.

Since 2000, China has included women in economic and social development plans through legislation. The Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests states in article 3: "The State Council formulates the China National Program for Women's Development and includes it in the plans for the national economy and social development. Local governments at or above the county level are to set regional development plans for women based on the National Program for Women's Development, and bring it into the plans for the national economy and social development." The 12th Five-Year Plan proposed "enhancing women's development in an all-round way, implementing the basic state policy of gender equality, carrying on the plan for women's development, fully exploring the human resource of women, ensuring women's legal rights and interests, promoting women's employment and startups, and improving their capabilities in economic development and social management. In addition, labor protection, social welfare, medical care, poverty alleviation and reduction, and legal aid for women should be reinforced, as well as improving the gender statistics system and women's development environment. Violence against women and trafficking of women should be completely eliminated." Implementing these plans, governments at all levels should adhere to the "five-including" principles. This means including the min national and local regulations and policies, in overall and specific plans for economic and social development, in governments' financial budgets at all levels, in development projects for the people, and in governments' working agendas and content of examination that is their responsibility. Thus, the plans could guarantee the planning, implementation and execution of women's development undergo these processes during the same time as economic and social development.

5. National mechanism of raising women's status continues improving to provide organizational guarantees promoting gender equality.

Regarding the protection of women's rights and benefits and promotion in gender equality as important missions, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee established the chamber for labor unions, Communist Youth Leagues and the Women's Federations, collecting regular reports of the situation of women's development from committees and related departments. Since 2009, the implementation of Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests and related laws have been examined and investigated three times. The Committee of Social and Legal Affairs of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee has set up work groups for women and children, presenting suggestions on issues in women's development and advancing motions for gender equality and women's development.

The State Council Working Committee on Women and Children (SCWCWC) was founded in 1990 and all its previous directors have been leaders in the State Council. Liu Yandong, the current director, is the Vice Premier of the council. At first, the SCWCWC had 19 government agency members and has now grown to 35. Committee member are vice-ministerial leaders of each agency. Throughout the country, 31 provinces, regions or municipalities have founded this organization. This working mechanism could make full use of synergy in balanced plans, complementary advantages and social responses. As the working mechanism promoting China's gender equality and women's development, division of and cooperation in work would not only integrate superior resources but also resolve the issues that impede gender equality and women's development.

In recent years, research institutions and selection and assessment mechanisms for gender equality have been encouraged in China. Twenty-one research and training bases for women or gender have been built in 12 provinces, regions and municipalities. Annual meetings and regular academic conferences focus on the study of gender issues. Since 2012, national mainstream media have elected the top 10 news events relating to gender equality every year, spreading gender consciousness to the public and raising social attention of gender issues. Consultation and assessment mechanisms for regulations and policies of gender equality have been set up in some places, including incorporating this principle into legislation and legal practice. In February 2009, Jiaozuo, a city in central China's Henan Province, released the Notice on Tentative Measures of Managing Jiaozuo's Financial Budget on Social Gender Reflection, the first government document relating to social gender budgets. It started the experiment of a social gender budget in public expenditure projects such as legal aid and public health services, enhancing gender equality in enjoying services of public financial expenditure. Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province, Wenling of Zhejiang Province and Shenzhen of Guangdong Province have also made efforts to exploring social gender budgets. In 2012, the Committee of Consulting and Evaluating Policies and Regulations on Gender Equality in Jiangsu Province was set up as the first institution to focus on the evaluation mechanism of regulations and policies on gender equality. In June 2012, Regulations on Promoting Gender Equality in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was released, setting out institutions on gender equality, evaluation of a gender budget and gender effect, gender statistics and media responsibility. On January9，2014, the Consulting and Evaluation Mechanism of Policies and Regulations on Gender Equality in Zhejiang Province was launched through the joint efforts of the province's legal affairs office and the Women's Federation. A first joint conference was also held.

6. Accelerated process of gender equality in health and education remarkably significant.

In the two decades of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the process of gender equality in health and education has achieved remarkable significance. By 2010, women's average life spans in China reached 77.37 years, increasing by 4.04 from 2000. The maternal death rate dropped from 53.0/100,000 in 2000 to 24.5/100,000 in 2010, with shrinking gaps between urban and rural areas and different regions. Meanwhile, the infant mortality rate(IMR) declined from 32.2/1,000in 2000 to 10.3/1,000 in 2010. The child mortality rate also decreased from 39.7/1,000in 2000 to 13.2/1,000in 2012, realizing the UN's Millennium Development Goals in advance. The elimination of gender gaps in education has made great progress as well. By the end of 2010, nine-year compulsory education had basically become widespread and illiteracy among young and middle-aged people had been almost eliminated in the 2856 counties (including cities or districts) of China. In 2012, 99.9 percent of the girls and boys of elementary school-age received an education without gender difference. In that same year, the gross enrollment rates of both boys and girls at junior high school reached 100 percent, and the gross enrollment rate for senior high school education was 85 percent. Female graduate students accounted for 48.95 percent of this population, essentially attaining gender balance. In addition, the gap between males and females in education years had been narrowed from 1.3 years in 2000 to 0.76 of a year in 2010.

(Source: Chinese Women's Movement/Translated and edited by Women of China)