The Situation of Chinese Women

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2006/04/25

The Situation of Chinese Women

Information Office of the State Council
Of the People's Republic of China
June 1994, Beijing

Contents

Foreword

Chapter I. Historic Liberation of Chinese Women

Chapter II. Equal Legal Status

Chapter III. Equal Rights and Important Role in Economic Sphere

Chapter IV. Extensive Participation in Administration of State and Social Affairs

Chapter V. Full Advance in Society

Chapter VI. Equal Status in Marriage and Family Life

Chapter VII. Organizational Guarantees of the Rights and Interests of Chinese Women

Chapter VIII. Active Participation in International Women's Activities

Foreword

In March 1992, the United Nations decided to hold in 1995 the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the capital of China. This has aroused greater world attention on the status of Chinese women.

In the feudal society which lasted several millennia and the subsequent century of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, Chinese women experienced a bitter history of prolonged oppression, degradation and abasement. From the first half of this century, masses of women plunged into an undaunted and heroic struggle lasting several decades under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. This was a quest for national liberation and their own emancipation. It was not until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that Chinese women, who make up one-fourth of their sex in the world, finally won their historic freedom.

New China proclaimed that Chinese women enjoy equal rights with men in all aspects of political, economic, cultural, social and family life and that they have become, like all Chinese citizens, masters of the state and society. Chinese laws guarantee that women and men enjoy the same rights and status and have equal personal dignity. The Chinese government employs legal, administrative and educational means to eliminate all kinds of discrimination against women and protect their special rights and interests. Today, as an important token of civilization and progress, Chinese women enjoy the equal rights which had remained unattainable in Chinese society over millennia and which only became accepted in many developed countries after some centuries.

Under the socialist system, the once-stifled wisdom and talents of Chinese women have been released to a great extent. Women are actively plunging into China's social development as masters of society, becoming a great force in both economic construction and cultural and ideological advances. They are a vital force in China's reform and opening to the outside world and the modernization drive. Women have made extremely important contributions in various undertakings, including industrial and agricultural production, science, culture, education and health care. In China, the expression "women hold up half the sky" has become the most vivid expression the entire society uses to praise the role played by women.

While women's impetus for social development has been forming, great changes have taken place in their mental outlook. They have gained a sense of self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-strengthening and have taken long strides forward in their ability to participate in government and political affairs, in their cultural accomplishment, level of scientific knowledge and production skills.

Chinese women have a glorious peace-loving tradition. They have never forgotten the calamities caused by aggressive wars and rendered resolute support for the peaceful foreign policies adopted by the Chinese government. No matter what clashes might break out in the world, they always stand on the side of justice and the victims of aggression and oppose violence and aggression. Chinese women are an important force in safeguarding world peace.

Over the past 45 years, especially in the 15 years since the introduction of reform and opening to the outside world, Chinese women have achieved truly historic advances toward the goal of "equality, development and peace". This great forward march is an important component of the progressive cause of women worldwide; it is also an important part of the progress China has made in human rights.

China is a developing country. Owing to the constraints of social development and the influence of old concepts, the condition of Chinese women is still not wholly satisfactory. There exist various difficulties and resistance which have prevented the full realization of equal rights to women with respect to their participation in political and government affairs, employment, access to education, as well as marriage and family. Instances of looking down upon and discrimination against women and even infringement of their rights still occur from time to time. On the other hand, the overall competence of women remains to be further enhanced. All these account for the fact that the road toward emancipation and progress for Chinese women has not reached its end. The Chinese government is making every effort to develop the economy, strengthen the legal system, eradicate all backward ideas of discriminating against and looking down on women and promote equal rights for men and women in all spheres of social life as stipulated in Chinese law. This will speed the realization of the various development goals of the Nairobi Strategies in China before the end of this century.

The Chinese government, Chinese women and Chinese people as a whole warmly welcome the convocation of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. They are going all out to make comprehensive preparations for the congress. To enable the international community to acquire a better understanding of the condition of women in the host country, we have prepared this report for release to the world.

Chapter I. Historic Liberation of Chinese Women

In semi-colonial and semi-feudal old China, women were for a long time kept at the bottom of society. It was not until the first half of this century that the Chinese Communist Party led the Chinese people to wage a great and profound national democratic revolution on this ancient land. At the same time, a large-scale women's emancipation movement was launched, resulting in the historic liberation of Chinese women which won worldwide attention.

The impact of the several millennia of oppression and devastation imposed by the feudal patriarchal system on Chinese women was exceptionally grave. In political, economic, cultural, social and family life, women were considered inferior to men. This was profoundly manifested in the following ways:

Possessing no political rights, women were completely excluded from social and political life. Economically dependent, women were robbed of property and inheritance rights and possessed no independent source of income. Having no social status, women were forced to obey their fathers before marriage, their husbands after marriage and their sons if they became widowed. They had no personal dignity or independent status, and were deprived of the right to receive an education and take part in social activities. They enjoyed no freedom in marriage but had to obey the dictates of their parents and heed the words of matchmakers, and were not allowed to remarry if their spouse died. They were subjected to physical and mental torture, being harassed by systems of polygamy and prostitution, the overwhelming majority of them forced to bind their feet from childhood. For centuries, "women with bound feet" was a synonym for the female gender in China.

The successive invasions by the Western powers after the Opium War in 1840 aggravated the plight of Chinese women. In the full-scale war of aggression launched by Japan against China from 1937 on, most of the over 30 million Chinese who were brutally killed were women and children. Within a month after the Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, they committed over 20,000 rapes. The cruel oppression and exploitation of the Chinese people by imperialist and feudalist forces as well as bureaucratic capitalism pushed China to the brink of national subjugation and annihilation. It also plunged Chinese women into an abyss of misery never witnessed before.

For national salvation and self emancipation, Chinese women, along with the entire nation, waged a dauntless struggle that lasted for over a century. They also launched a succession of movements for women's liberation. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom enacted and promulgated a series of policies on sexual equality. The Reform Movement of 1898 advocated and ignited the wave to ban feet binding and establish schools for women. The 1911 Revolution kindled a feminist movement which focused on equal rights for men and women and participation by women in political affairs. These movements promoted the awakening of Chinese women. Nevertheless, they all failed to bring about a fundamental change in their miserable plight as victims of oppression and enslavement.

Ever since its birth, the Chinese Communist Party has made the achievement of female emancipation and equality between men and women one of its goals. Under the leadership of the Party, women were mobilized and organized to form a broad united front with working women in industry and agriculture as the main body. Women of all ethnic groups and walks of life united to stage popular women's liberation movements closely tied to the Chinese revolution. In Communist Party-led base areas in particular, the revolutionary political powers issued a series of decrees and regulations to ensure the rights of women and raise their status. This brought light and hope to women throughout the country.

For the women of China, the founding of the People's Republic of China ended the thousands of years of feudal oppression and enslavement and the history of being trampled and bullied by foreign aggressors. With an entirely new face, they have stood up and become the masters of new China like all citizens of the country. In 1949, the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was convened in Beijing. The 69 women present accounted for 10.4 percent of the delegates. They represented women throughout the country in discussions together with men delegates on matters of vital importance for the country's construction. At the conference, Soong Ching Ling was elected vice-chairperson of the Central People's Government. Li Dequan, Shi Liang and some other women were also placed in leading posts in the government. The Common Program, adopted by the conference which had the nature of a provisional constitution, solemnly declared the toppling of the feudal system which fettered women and stated that women enjoyed equal rights with men in the political, economic, cultural and educational fields and in other aspects of social life. Thus a new era in the emancipation of Chinese women was ushered in.

After the founding of the People's Republic, there was a surge of mass movements throughout the country to quickly change the backward economic and cultural outlook left over by old China and eradicate the antiquated system and outmoded customs that fettered, discriminated against and humiliated women. This effected an earth-shaking historic change in the social status and condition of women.

-- Land reform. In old China, poor farmers and farm laborers, who accounted for 70 percent of the rural population, owned only 10 percent of the land. Women had no right to own any land. In the very early days of the People's Republic, a widespread and profound land reform movement was carried out, in accordance with the principle of distributing land on the basis of the number of members in a family. Rural women obtained land, just like their male counterparts, and became masters of their piece of soil. This fundamentally altered the situation of economic inequality between men and women.

-- Universal balloting. The Electoral Law of the People's Republic of China promulgated in 1953 clearly stipulated that women enjoy the same rights to vote and stand for election as men. The subsequent elections conducted at grass-roots level nationwide in December that year were the first large-scale general ballot in Chinese history. More than 90 percent of women cast their vote, and the number of women people's deputies elected at grass-roots level accounted for 17 percent of the total. Among the deputies to the National People's Congress, elected somewhat later, women made up 12 percent, with females accounting for 11 percent of all representatives from ethnic minorities. This indicates that ever since the founding of the People's Republic, the participation of women of all ethnic groups in state administration has been not only written into the law but also an actual practice. In some Western countries, only one or two centuries after their founding, did the law stipulate that women had equal voting rights with men.

-- The move out of the home. Along with the economic rehabilitation and development, there appeared a nationwide upsurge of women stepping out of their homes to take part in social production. In 1957, around 70 percent of rural women engaged in agricultural work, and the number of urban women workers and staff reached 3.286 million, representing a 5.5-fold increase over 1949. This thoroughly transformed the situation in which women were excluded from social productive labor, providing them with an independent source of income.

-- Illiteracy eradication campaign. In old China, as many as 90 percent of women were illiterate. In order to raise the cultural level of the entire nation, New China launched a planned campaign to gradually wipe out illiteracy. The mass campaign witnessed three upsurges in 1952, 1956 and 1958. Various literacy classes, popular evening schools and workers' spare-time schools mushroomed in both rural and urban areas, and women attended these in their millions. By 1958, 16 million women had learned to read, and this represented an initial step in eradicating the ignorance and backwardness of Chinese women.

-- Publicity and implementation of the Marriage Law. The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, promulgated in 1950, was the first statute enacted by New China. It clearly declared the abolition of the feudal marriage system characterized by arranged and forced marriage, male superiority and female inferiority, and disregard for the interests of children. Implementation of the new system was marked by freedom for both men and women in marriage, monogamy, sexual equality and protection of the legitimate rights of women and children. This signified a profound revolution in the patterns of wedded and family life that had prevailed for several thousand years in Chinese society. In the months that followed the law's promulgation, a large-scale mass campaign was staged throughout the country to publicize and implement the Marriage Law. This action resulted in the annulment of numerous feudal engagements, a rapid reduction in wife bashing and maltreatment, and freely chosen love marriages became prevalent. Through several years of hard work, the shackles imposed upon women by the millennia-old feudal marriage system was smashed and freedom of marriage was basically established.

-- Ban on prostitution. Brothels, prostitution and whoring were among the disgusting social phenomena left over by old China. Immediately after its founding, New China adopted resolute measures to outlaw prostitution. In November 1949, the Second People's Representative Conference of Beijing Municipality took the lead in adopting a decision to ban prostitution. The municipal government immediately closed all brothels and gathered prostitutes in designated places where they could be educated, have their thinking reformed, receive treatment for venereal diseases, and be provided with guidance to help them start normal lives and support themselves through their own work. Following the example of Beijing, all large, medium-sized and small cities in the country, including Shanghai and Tianjin, waged campaigns to wipe out prostitution. In a very short period of time, the sale of sex, a chronic social malady that seemed impossible to eradicate in old China and which seriously damaged the physical and mental health of women and degraded their dignity, disappeared, enabling society to take on a brand-new outlook.

By means of these large-scale mass movements, New China took only a few years to clean up the filth and mire left over from a feudal society that had lasted for thousands of years. It effected fundamental emancipation for women in all aspects of political, economic, cultural, social and family life. This represented a significant transformation in the history of contemporary social development that China can be proud of. It was also an important contribution made by the Chinese revolution to the worldwide movement for women's liberation.

Chapter II. Equal Legal Status

China attaches great importance to providing legal protection for females. Women enjoy equal legal status with men. Now, a comprehensive legal system has come into being to protect the rights and interests of women and promote sexual equality. It takes the Constitution as the basis and the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women as the core, and encompasses various specific state laws and regulations, administrative decrees and regulations enacted by various government departments, and local legislation.

The basic principles in China's legislative work concerning women are equal rights for men and women, protection of the special rights and interests of women, and the banning of any discrimination, maltreatment and persecution directed at women. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates, "Women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life, political, economic, cultural and social, including family life....The state protects the rights and interests of women, applies the principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women alike and trains and selects cadres from among women....Marriage, the family and mother and child are protected by the state....Violation of the freedom of marriage is prohibited. Maltreatment of old people, women and children is prohibited." In line with the principles established by the Constitution, New China has promulgated over 10 fundamental laws, including the Marriage Law, Electoral Law, Law of Inheritance, Civil Law and Criminal Law. The State Council and various ministries and commissions under it have enacted over 40 administrative decrees and regulations. Local governments have devised more than 80 local regulations and rules. All these legislations include clear provisions on the protection of the rights and interests of women. No law in China contains clauses that discriminate against women.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women promulgated in 1992 provided an effective legal weapon for further enhancing the social status of women and guaranteeing their basic rights and interests.

Under Chinese law, the legitimate rights of women can be summed up into the following six aspects:

-- Women enjoy equal political rights with men. Women have the right, through various channels and in various ways, to administer state and social affairs, and enjoy equal rights to vote and stand for election. To ensure female participation in government and political affairs, the law stipulates that deputies to the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at various levels should include appropriate numbers of women and the proportion should be increased step by step. It states that the principle of sexual equality should be upheld when appointing people to leading posts, and attention should be paid to training and selecting top officials from among women.

-- Women enjoy equal rights with men with respect to culture and education. These cover school admittance, advancement to higher levels of schooling, job assignment after graduation, conferment of academic degrees and being dispatched for study abroad, plus women's rights to engage in scientific and technological research and literary and artistic creation. The government, society, school and family have the responsibility to ensure that the right of female children and adolescents to receive compulsory education is observed.

-- Women enjoy equal working rights with men. These mainly include: the right to work and be employed, equal pay for equal work, time-off, on-the-job safety and medical care as well as special labor protection, and social insurance. The law stipulates that any unit, while recruiting employees, is not allowed to refuse to employ women or raise the recruitment standards for women under any pretext. It cannot fire women or unilaterally annul their labor contracts on the pretext of marriage, pregnancy, maternity leave or baby nursing. It is not allowed to discriminate against women in terms of promotion, award of academic and technical titles, allotment of housing and enjoyment of welfare benefits, nor to assign women to tasks that are not suitable for them. Women enjoy special protection during menstruation, pregnancy, child birth and baby nursing period.

-- Women enjoy equal property rights with men. The law stipulates that rural women enjoy the same rights as rural men in the allotment of "responsibility farmland" and "grain-ration farmland" and in the approval of housing sites. With regard to marriage and family property, women enjoy equal ownership and inheritance rights with men. Widows have the right to dispose of property they inherit, without interference from anyone.

-- Women enjoy equal rights with men relating to their persons. Women enjoy the right to life and health, freedom of the person, the right of portrait, reputation and other rights relating the person; and they enjoy the right of kinship, guardianship, fame and status as a producer. The law prohibits abandonment and drowning of female babies and other forms of infanticide and bans discrimination against and maltreatment of women who give birth to female babies and women who are sterile. It forbids tormenting women with superstitious and violent means and bans maltreatment or abandonment of aged women. It forbids the abduction and kidnapping of women as well as the sale and purchase of such women. It bans actions to organize, force, seduce, shelter or introduce women to engage in prostitution.

-- Women enjoy equal rights with men in marriage and the family. The law states that women enjoy equal freedom in marriage and divorce, and the relations between husband and wife are equal. Women can use their own surnames and given names and participate in production and social activities. Women are subject to special protection with regard to divorce.

While clearly delineating the various concrete rights and interests of women, China's legislation amplifies the responsibilities of state organs in protecting women and clarifies the special status and role of the women's federations and other women's organizations in lawsuits, thus establishing a comprehensive legal mechanism for protecting women. Among the 54 articles of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women, 75 percent list in detail the consequences and legal responsibilities for infringements, thus providing an operational legal basis for enforcement of the law.

At present, China is still at the primary stage of socialism and remains comparatively underdeveloped in economic and cultural development. Therefore, certain provisions on the legal rights of women and guarantee mechanisms need to be further improved. Along with the in-depth development of China's modernization drive, the country's legal system on the protection of women's rights and interests will be perfected.

Chapter III. Equal Rights and Important Role in Economic Sphere

Improvement of the economic status of women constitutes the most important foundation for achieving sexual equality. The Chinese government has made fruitful efforts to upgrade and enhance the economic status of women. Under new conditions, Chinese women have become a great force in the country's social development, making major contributions to the socialist economic construction.

Chinese women enjoy equal rights with men in employment. Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the population of employed women has risen constantly. In China, employed females now account for some 44 percent of the total number of employees, higher than the world rate of 34.5 percent. In 1992, employed females made up 72.33 percent of all women over 15, and in the countryside, women laborers made up half the rural labor force. The number of urban working women increased from 600,000 in 1949 to 56 million, while their share of the country's total working population went up from 7.5 percent to 38 percent. Woment's areas of employment cover a wide range. Among 12 branches of the national economy, nine employ over 1 million women. They include industry, agriculture, building, transport and communications, commerce, public health, education, Party and government organs and social organizations. There has been a remarkable upgrading of the kinds of jobs they are holding. In 1992, the number of women in scientific research and comprehensive technological services, Party and government organs and social organizations, and financial and insurance establishments accounted for 34.4 percent, 21.6 percent and 37.3 percent respectively of all employed in these fields. Despite the great progress made in the employment of Chinese women, some new problems have cropped up in recent years. For instance, women are experiencing difficulty finding jobs, chiefly because some units do not want to accept females. The Chinese government is now taking active measures to tackle these problems.

The principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women is basically in place. In China, workers in the same industries, doing similar kinds of work and having the same technical skills, receive the same pay regardless of sex. However, due to current differences in cultural and professional competence as well as occupational composition, some real income gaps still exist between men and women. According to a survey conducted in 1990, the average monthly incomes for male and female workers in urban areas were 193.15 yuan and 149.60 yuan respectively, with women receiving only 77.4 percent of the pay given to men. In rural areas, the average annual incomes for men and women were 1,518 yuan and 1,235 yuan respectively, with women getting 81.4 percent of the earnings of men. However, 1.2 percent of all rural women earned an average annual income of over 10,000 yuan, and the percentage was the same for men. This indicates that, among those who have been the first to prosper in the countryside, the income gap between men and women has become insignificant.

The Chinese government provides comprehensive protective measures for employed women. According to a survey, 85.3 percent of child-bearing female workers and staff members in urban areas enjoy a three-month paid maternity leave, while some units have extended the leave to six months. Female workers during their pregnant and lactation period have their work load and work time reduced. Most state-owned enterprises where women predominate have established gynecological clinics, rest rooms for pregnant women, breastfeeding rooms, nurseries and kindergartens.

As the economic status of Chinese women improves, they are playing an increasingly significant role in the economic sphere.

The rural economic restructuring, conducted since the end of the 1970s, unleashed the immense labor potential of women. Women have become an important and indispensable force in invigorating and promoting the rural economy. Females account for more than half of all workers in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries and water conservancy. In major cotton-producing areas, the management of cotton fields is mostly undertaken by women. Of the 14 million self-employed rural individuals engaged in commerce and service trades, women account for about one-third. In areas where the commodity economy is relatively developed, rural women engaged in business account for half of farmers who have gone into trade. About 50-60 percent of the total rural output value is generated by women.

Rural women in China are an important driving force for the development of township enterprises. At present, rural China boasts more than 100 million workers in township businesses, and 40 million of them are females. The ratio is even greater for women working in the food, clothing, knitwear and other woven products, toy and electronics industries, as well as traditional handicrafts and service trades. They create about 65 percent of the output value. Township enterprises producing textiles, silk, tea, knitwear and other woven products, embroidery and toys, where women make up the bulk of the employees, are the ones which earn the most foreign exchange for the country. Quite a few women become leaders at different levels in township enterprises. For instance, there are 2,000-3,000 women directors and managers in such businesses in each of the provinces of Jiangsu, Guangdong, Anhui, Fujian and Henan. In addition, tens of thousands of women serve as the technical backbone in production at workshop and shift level.

The great role played by Chinese women in rural economic construction has won commendation from some international organizations. The rural area of Longkou City, Shandong Province, has been selected by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as an international monitoring point for studying the problem of rural women. There, rural women not only shoulder 40 to 60 percent of the workload in the fields but also 74 percent of production tasks of township textile, clothing and embroidery enterprises. The embroidery articles they make are exported and can earn for the country US$2.5 million annually. In recent years, 100-odd experts from more than 20 countries have made study tours of the area. They have concurred that rural women in Longkou are playing as important a role as their male counterparts.

In the cities, women have made important contributions to urban economic reform and development. In the 1982-90 period, the growth rate in the number of females employed in the following sectors, namely finance, culture and education, radio and television, public health, sport and recreation, social welfare, commercial concerns, catering, supply and storage, and government and social institutions, exceeded that of males by 21 to 78 percentage points. In 1993, females accounted for 36.8 percent of those with professional and technical titles in enterprises and institutions throughout the country. Women have taken an active part in management and offered numerous proposals and suggestions for the development of their enterprises. According to one survey, women workers and staff in Shaanxi, Jiangsu and eight other provinces alone raised 3.87 million rationalization proposals in the last three years, generating 2.1 billion yuan in economic returns.

Many women factory directors and enterprise managers have come to the fore in the wave of economic reforms and the drive to open to the outside world. They have actively participated in competition and courageously accepted challenges, playing a vital role in ensuring the survival and development of their respective enterprises. In 1992, 97 females in the 28 pilot enterprises in Liaoning Province, picked to try out reforms, rose from rank and file to enterprise managers and leaders in the course of fierce competition. In 1988 and 1992, a total of 107 women factory directors and managers were cited as outstanding entrepreneurs.

In the 40-odd years since the founding of the People's Republic, Chinese women with a sense of self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-strengthening, have continued to enhance their own capabilities. Their historic accomplishments and significant role in the country's economic construction have won widespread commendation. From 1949 to 1988, a total of 24,858,000 women were awarded the title of advanced worker. In the 1978-92 period, 572 outstanding females were cited as national model workers, and 20,152 others were given the title of "March 8 (International Women's Day) Red-Banner Pacesetters". In 1988-93, 936 females were granted national "May 1" labor medals.

Chapter IV. Extensive Participation in Administration of State and Social Affairs

In China, women take full part in administering state and social affairs and thus have made mammoth contributions to the country's development of democracy and building of its legal system.

Chinese women occupy an important place in people's congresses at various levels. When the First National People's Congress (NPC) was held in 1954, there were only 147 women deputies, accounting for 12 percent of the total. By 1993, when the Eighth NPC was convened, the number of women deputies had increased to 626, accounting for 21.03 percent of the total. The permanent body of the National People's Congress, the Standing Committee, had only four women members, or 5 percent of the total, at the time of the First NPC. By the Eighth NPC, the number of women standing committee members had increased to 19, rising to 12.3 percent. From 1954 to 1993, eight women served as vice-chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee. They include Soong Ching Ling, He Xiangning, Cai Chang and Chen Muhua.

Women deputies to people's congresses at various levels have played an important role in legislative work and the administration of other state and social affairs. They pay particular attention to the problems of education and public health, the ecological environment, the protection of the rights and interests of women, children and the disabled, social stions for legislation and policy-making and working hard to promote advances in these fields. The enactment of the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women and many other laws were made on the basis of motions put forward by women and with their participation.

Chinese women take an active part in the activities of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at various levels. In the Eighth National Committee of the CPPCC held in 1993, women accounted for 283 of the members and 29 of the standing committee members, making up 13.52 percent and 9.2 percent of their respective totals. Women members of the CPPCC are outstanding figures from all walks of life, and provide wide representation. From their different vantage points, they express their opinions on national affairs and government work, render consultation and carry out democratic supervision. Deng Yingchao, Kang Keqing and Qian Zhengying had been or is currently among the seven women serving as chairperson or vice-chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee.

The system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China forms the basic political system of China. At present, the Chinese Communist Party has over 7 million women members, accounting for 14 percent of general membership. Many outstanding women work in various leading posts within the Party. The current 14th CPC Central Committee has 24 women members and alternate members, while six women are now acting as directors or deputy directors of departments under the CPC Central Committee. China's eight democratic parties have some 110,000 women members. In one party, women constitute 41 percent of the membership. There are 203 women in the central leading organs of the eight democratic parties. Madam Lei Jieqiong, vice-chairperson of the Eighth NPC Standing Committee, a noted scholar and social activist, is the chairperson of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy.

Participation in government work is an important channel for women to play their role in the administration of state and social affairs. Since the founding of the People's Republic, one woman had served one term as vice-chairperson and later honorary president of the country, two women have served as vice-premiers of the State Council, and two have been state councilors. China's policies of reform and opening to the outside world not only have promoted economic development and social progress, but have also prepared better conditions for women to participate in government and political affairs. In 1993, women made up 32.44 percent of all people working in government organs. At present, the various ministries and commissions under the State Council have 16 female ministers and vice-ministers, and the country has 18 female provincial governors and deputy governors. In the nation's 517 cities, more than 300 women have been elected mayor or deputy mayor.

Women play an important role in strengthening legislative construction and safeguarding state security. China's judicial organs have a large number of women judges, procurators and lawyers. In 1992, the country boasted 21,012 female judges and 4,512 women lawyers.

Ordinary women in general also show concern for national affairs and government work. There is increasing enthusiasm on their part to involve themselves in government and political affairs. In all general elections since 1953, when the first general election was held for deputies to grass-roots people's congresses, over 90 percent of women had exercised their voting rights. Since 1984, the rate has risen to 95 percent. Apart from frequently making their voices heard through mass organizations, women also vent their opinions and raise their suggestions on government work and social issues by writing to or calling at relevant government offices or through the mass media.

Women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life realize their democratic participation in and supervision over state and social affairs through women's federations at various levels. This is one of the important channels of women participation in political affairs in China. On behalf of women, these federations play a part in the making of laws and regulations related to the vital interests of women by the people's congresses and governments, and supervise their implementation. They can propose to relevant government departments that they issue policy documents for the settlement of womenrelated problems that emerge. They can also recommend women cadres to government organs, social organizations, enterprises and institutions.

The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government consider the participation of women in government and political affairs an important component part of the building of democracy in China. They have issued special documents and called meetings for improving the external environment for women cadres, so as to raise the ratio of women participating in political affairs and ensure that women really enjoy the political rights written in the Constitution. These documents and meetings deal with the work of training and selecting cadres from among women. A whole series of regulations have been issued to this effect. At present, there are women in the Party and government leading bodies of 23 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government), 244 prefectures (cities, autonomous prefectures and leagues) and 2,106 counties (districts and banners). In order to promote equality, unity, progress and common prosperity among all ethnic groups, the government attaches particular attention to training women cadres of ethnic minorities, and has established schools for these minorities, run training classes for their women cadres and offer opportunities for them to go on to advanced studies. This has promoted a rapid growth of ethnic minority women cadres. By 1992, the number of minority women cadres nationwide reached 607,600, accounting for 26.6 percent of all minority cadres in the country. Among deputies to the Eighth NPC, 106 are female deputies from ethnic minorities, accounting for 17 percent of all women deputies. Moreover, three minority women were elected members of the Eighth NPC Standing Committee. Cadres from minority nationalities have become a backbone force in the political, economic and social development of minority areas.

The Chinese government is now working on the Program for the Development of Chinese Women, which is aimed at further promoting women's participation in government and political affairs as well as their overall participation and development.

Chapter V. Full Advance in Society

In old China, women were excluded from social life. New China has enabled women to make conspicuous progress in all aspects of society, especially in the fields of education, science and technology, culture, sports and public health.

The Chinese government has exerted great efforts to promote women's education. In regular education, the state has adopted measures to increase the proportion of female enrollment. In some remote, poverty-stricken areas and ethnic minority areas, there are free courses and schools specially for women as a measure to remove barriers to female education. In 1992, the attendance rate for girls from 7 to 11 years old had risen to 96.2 percent from less than 20 percent before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The proportion of females in middle schools, colleges and postgraduate schools reached 43.1 percent, 33.7 percent and 24.8 percent respectively. Among engineering college graduates, women accounted for 27 percent. From 1982, when the academic degree system was resumed, to 1993, 1,149 women were awarded doctorates, making up 9.4 percent of total Ph.D recipients.

The Chinese government has also paid special attention to promoting adult and vocational education and eliminating illiteracy among women. There are 1,679 women's secondary vocational schools and three women's vocational colleges, which offer more than 60 specialties suitable for women. Over 13 million women are enrolled in institutions of higher learning. Over a period of 45 years since the founding of the People's Republic, more than 110 million women illiterates have been taught to read, reducing the female illiteracy rate from 90 percent in 1949 to 32 percent in 1993.

Chinese women have made active contributions to education. In 1992, women teachers at all levels made up 30-44.5 percent of teachers nationwide. In Beijing University, the most distinguished university of China, about one-third of the 3,000 academics are female. Among them, 19 are tutors of postgraduate candidates, 68 are professors and more than 300 are associate professors. Over 20 women across the country assume the posts of university president or vice-president. In 1990, 50,000 teachers were cited for having made outstanding contributions. Seventy percent of them were women. In 1993, 5,971 people were cited as exemplary teachers and education workers in the national education system, among them 1,702 being women, or 28.5 percent of the total. Of the 592 model workers in the national education system, women accounted for 150, or 25.3 percent of the total.

The Chinese government has attached great importance to training women scientists and technicians, trying to improve their working and living conditions and encouraging and supporting them in their scientific research. Many women have stepped into the frontiers of science and technology in areas such as high-energy physics, genetic engineering, microelectronics and satellite launching. Together with male scientists, they have achieved many breakthroughs. In 1993, China had 8,097,000 women scientists and technicians, making up 35 percent of the total. In the Chinese Academy of Sciences, there are 186 women directors of research centers, accounting for 11.9 percent of all directors. As to leaders of research teams, 514, or 14.8 percent of them are women. In the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, women make up over 40 percent of scientists with senior professional titles, and 47.3 percent of the 112 academy-level key research projects are in the charge of women. Up to 1993, the Chinese Academy of Sciences had selected 29 women as academicians, making up 5.4 percent of the total. By 1992, 204 women had become state-level experts, accounting for 5.7 percent of all such experts in the country. Among specialists and scholars who enjoy special government allowances, 11,374, or 10 percent of the total, are women. Chinese women have become a significant force in scientific and technological circles.

Chinese women have exhibited their acumen and talents in the arts and culture. In 12 cultural organizations, such as the Chinese Writers' Association, the China Film Association, the Chinese Artists' Association and the China Society for the Study of Folk Literature and Art, women members are quite active and their proportion hits 41.8 percent at the highest. Women writers, performers, painters, directors and musicians are constantly emerging. Since China implemented its reform and opening up policies, the emergence of a galaxy of women writers has brightened the literary scene. At international ballet, piano, violin and vocal music competitions, women made up over 50 percent of Chinese prize winners. With acrobats, it is over 70 percent.

The Chinese government takes active measures to create favorable conditions for women participation in physical training and international matches. With their enterprising spirit, women athletes have done brilliantly in the global sports arena. From 1985 to 1993, China had 404 top sportswomen at international level, accounting for 51 percent of all Chinese athletes at that rank. Between 1949 and 1993, Chinese athletes won 775 world championships, of which 460, or 59 percent, were won by women; Chinese athletes broke world records 725 times, with women accounting for 458 of these, or about 63 percent of the total. At the 25th Olympic Games held in 1992, Chinese women athletes scooped 12 gold medals, taking three quarters of the golds for China. The indomitable and tenacious character displayed by Chinese women athletes embody the new look of the Chinese nation.

Women have made outstanding contributions to the nation's medical and health services. By 1993, China had 2.27 million medical workers specializing in maternity and child care, accounting for 55 percent of all those in the medical profession. The late Lin Qiaozhi, who possessed superb medical skills and high medical ethics, was vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the head of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of the Chinese Medical Association. She long engaged in gynaecological and obstetrics teaching and research, conducting general surveys and curing common and recurring women's illnesses. She contributed significantly to China's modern gyniatrics and set an excellent example of humanitarianism in healing the wounded and rescuing the dying.

In the 15 years since the reform and opening up, 382 achievements in medical sciences have been honored with state-level awards. More than 50 percent of these achievements were made with the participation of women and a quarter have been independently accomplished by females. From 1983 till now, 15 Chinese women have won the Nightingale Medal, the world's top honor for nurses.

Women have played an irreplaceable role in enhancing social morality, improving social environment and maintaining social stability.

Neighborhood committees can be found in cities and towns all over the country. These are autonomous popular organizations and one of their major duties is to mediate in neighborhood disputes. Most of the active members are women. With all their heart and soul, they perform patient and painstaking work to settle disputes among their neighbors. In doing so, they quash numerous civil quarrels that might otherwise develop into criminal cases and thus promote harmony among residents.

Women take the initiative in helping the government in its efforts to educate people who have taken a wrong step in life. From the very early days after the founding of the People's Republic, many public-spirited women visited prisons on their days off to see criminals whom they had never met. They wrote to felons and encouraged them to rehabilitate themselves during their time inside and try to turn over a new leaf. In the last few years, more and more women have been participating in this type of activity. There are many thousands of "assistance and education teams" across the country, mainly composed of women. These groups not only help young wrong-doers to remould their thinking, but also try to find jobs and spouses for them on their release. China is among countries with the lowest incidence of crime and recidivism. This fact is closely related to the efforts of women.

Responding to the government call for a cultured, scientific and progressive life style, women show great enthusiasm in public welfare work. Most of those who serve in old folks' homes and social welfare institutions are women. They treat elders and youngsters like their own kith and kin. In numerous cities and villages, many women voluntarily take it upon themselves to support and care for aged widows and widowers or adopt orphans. In cities and towns, retired women take over community services on their own initiative. They set up nurseries, snack bars, sales commission agencies and hygiene supervision posts, which are welcomed by the society. In many places, women volunteer to organize associations to ban gambling and thus save many families on the verge of disintegration, promoting a favorable turn in civil practices and the general mood of society.

Owing to historical reasons and the constraints of the level of social, economic and cultural development, some problems continue to impede women's full participation in social life and must not be ignored. In particular, the majority of women have a low level of education and in some rural areas, especially in remote or border regions, female children are not being fully guaranteed their right to education. The government and social organizations are adopting measures to overcome these inadequacies.

Chapter VI. Equal Status in Marriage and Family Life

Guarantees for the legal rights and interests of women are an issue of common concern in China. Government organs, social organizations, enterprises and institutions, and rural and urban mass groups at the grass roots have all made efforts to this effect in line with the laws and regulations.

People's congresses at all levels are responsible for drafting and revising laws and statutes to protect women's rights and interests. They supervise the implementation of relevant laws and governmental work to safeguard the position of women and children. To ensure the task is performed well, the Committee for Internal and Judicial Affairs under the National People's Congress (NPC) and the standing committees of 16 provincial, autonomous, and municipal people's congresses have established special departments to handle matters concerning women and children. Committees at all echelons of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) carry out democratic supervision and provide political consultation on legislations concerning women's rights and interests and their implementation. They conduct surveys of major problems connected with women, and submit their opinions and suggestions for resolving them. The National CPPCC and its counterparts in some provinces and municipalities have also established committees for women and youth.

People's governments at each level and their departments are responsible for drafting and revising women-related administrative regulations, issuing relevant decisions and orders, linking women's advance with social development, and adopting administrative measures to oversee the protection of women's rights and interests. Judicial bodies at all levels, in accordance with legal procedures, hear and judge cases and punish criminals who infringe on women's rights and interests and see to it that laws are upheld. To coordinate and propel governmental departments in their work of guaranteeing the rights of women, the State Council has established a Work Committee for Women and Children. Its members include leaders from 16 ministries and commissions and four mass organizations. Similar local government bodies have also been set up in all the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, with the exception of Taiwan.

More than 5,800 mass women's organizations in China undertake to report women's views and their problems to the authorities and make suggestions on how to solve them. They are an important force in safeguarding the status of women. The biggest of these is the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), which comprises women from different ethnic groups and all walks of life. It has broad representation and a popular basis, and furthermore, a sound functional network. Its basic units can be found in urban neighborhoods as well as in villages. Aiming to represent and defend the interests of women, the federation devotes itself to promoting sexual equality and raising women's position in society. Its outstanding work has earned it a high reputation in society and women's confidence. Many other national, regional, and professional women's organizations, such as the Council of Women Workers, the Association of Women Scientific and Technological Workers, the Young Women's Christian Association, and associations of women entrepreneurs, women engineers, women journalists, women judges, lawyers, writers, calligraphers and so on, are affiliated with the federation. As the federation has the same goal as the government, which is to unite women to take part in social development and to defend women's rights and interests, its work is supported and encouraged by the authorities on every rung. The eight democratic parties of China have also set up commissions for women, whose efforts have effectively defended the cause of women.

Mass media and research institutes play an important role in safeguarding the rights and interests and promoting the advancement of women. The press, radio and television publicize state laws and regulations upholding women's rights and interests and civilized and progressive views on women. This has greatly promoted public awareness of women's rights and contributions to society. Women's organizations have also published many newspapers and magazines for women, the ACWF and its branches alone have 47 periodicals. Some newspapers have special columns on women. Radio and television stations make special women's programs. National and local research institutes on women have been established and their activities help in many ways to protect women's rights and interests.

Coordinating their efforts and acting together, the above-mentioned groups have produced positive results in eliminating discrimination against women, upholding equality between men and women, improving women's qualifications and promoting the advancement of women.

The Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women is the product of joint efforts by organs of state power, executive bodies and mass groups. The idea of drafting such a law was first put forward by the All-China Women's Federation. Drafts and proposals to this effect were submitted by deputies to the NPC, members of the CPPCC and representatives to the Women's Congress. The proposal gained the attention and acceptance of the Standing Committee of the NPC, which entrusted the drafting work to the ACWF, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. The Committee for Internal and Judicial Affairs under the National People's Congress and the Work Committee for Women and Children under the State Council also participated. Since the statute was promulgated, these organizations have launched publicity activities and extensive surveys to promote its implementation.

To stop the abduction and sale of women and children and prostitution, phenomena which have reappeared in some areas in recent years, the State Council issued a Notice on Reprisals Against Trafficking in Women and Children in 1989. In 1991, in response to proposals by some political parties and organizations, the NPC drew up the Decision on the Strict Prohibition Against Prostitution and Whoring and the Decision Regarding the Severe Punishment of the Criminals Who Abduct and Traffic in or Kidnap Women or Children. Government departments involved held three successive work meetings, and as a result, social security was enhanced and felonies checked. In 1992, there was a 35.2 percent reduction in cases of abduction and sale of women and children as compared with 1991, and there was a further drop of 9 percent in 1993.

Female self-improvement is a strategic task fundamental to the protection of women's rights and interests. Since 1989, the All-China Women's Federation, together with over 10 governmental departments, has launched several campaigns for the betterment of women themselves. One aimed at promoting cultural and technical studies and achievements among women of different ethnic groups in the countryside. By the end of 1993, more than 120 million rural women had joined in and 90 million of them had received practical technical training. Another 10 million had learned to read and write, while 510,000 gained the title of agro-technician. In poverty-stricken areas, mostly old revolutionary bases, ethnic minority areas and border regions, 250 training classes have been held and 4,500 aid stations have been set up to help the impoverished. Nowadays, 80 percent of the poor families covered by these stations have adequate food and clothing. About 37.76 million urban women took part in an ACWF-initiated project to contribute to the Eighth Five-Year Plan, and 4,672 of them were dubbed pacesetters, and another 15,132 were awarded at provincial level or above the title of "Able Woman". The above-mentioned project embraced a call for women to have high ideals, high moral standards, education and discipline (briefly known as "four haves") as well as to strive for self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-strengthening (briefly known as "four selfs"). The slogan of "four selfs" was first raised at the Sixth National Congress of Women. Then, the Seventh National Congress of Women adopted a 10-Point Goal for the Advancement of Chinese Women in the 1990s. The "four selfs" slogan and the 10-point goal produced a widespread impact upon women and society. Inspired by them, millions of Chinese women are realizing their own betterment and progress in the course of propelling society forward.

Chapter VII. Organizational Guarantees of the Rights and Interests of Chinese Women

Chapter VIII. Active Participation in International Women's Activities

China recognizes and respects the principle of sexual equality affirmed in the United Nations Charter and appreciates and supports UN endeavors to promote the status of women and realize sexual equality. China has taken an active part in international women's activities sponsored by the UN. In accordance with its independent foreign policy of peace, China is striving to develop friendly exchanges and cooperation with women from all over the world, while making unremitting efforts to realize the goal of worldwide equality between men and women, women's participation in social development and maintenance of world peace.

Since resuming membership in the UN in October 1971, China has shown great enthusiasm in participating in UN activities related to women.

China has been playing an active role in UN women's organizations. Since 1974, China has been elected five times as a member state in the UN Commission on the Status of Women. There, Chinese representatives have expounded Chinese women's stand on world peace, participation in development and promotion of sexual equality, exchanged experience and information on promoting women's conditions and giving full play to the role of women with their counterparts from other countries. This has helped to enhance mutual understanding and develop friendly cooperation. Since 1982, Chinese experts have been elected four times in succession as representatives on the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and participated in evaluating the reports submitted by governments and made strenuous efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. From 1985 to 1988, China was elected a member of the board of directors of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, where it made positive contributions to women's research and training.

China was one of the first signatories to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and has submitted timely reports on its implementation in China as required. China took part in formulating and examining the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000, and has laid down statutes and adopted concrete policies in accordance with China's reality so that the Nairobi Strategies may be realized. China has consistently carried out the principle that men and women enjoy equal pay for equal work. In 1990, it formally ratified the Convention Concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value released by the International Labor Organization.

China supported and engaged in activities for International Women's Year in 1975 and the UN Decade for Women, from 1975 to 1985. The Chinese government sent delegations to the world conferences on women held in Mexico City in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980 and Nairobi in 1985, and also to the five global preliminary meetings and two regional preparatory meetings. At these events, Chinese representatives gave full support to exertions for the United Nations Decade for Women and expounded China's stand and viewpoints on some major international problems and strategies for the advancement of conditions for women, thus making positive contributions to the success of these conferences. At the same time, Chinese women's organizations sent members to take part in Non-Governmental Organization Forum held during the three conferences. China attended 17 UN-sponsored training classes and seminars aimed at realizing the goals of the UN Decade for Women. In the course of these efforts, China exchanged observations and improved its relations with other countries.

Chinese women have made vigorous efforts to develop links with women organizations and individuals around the globe. To date, the All-China Women's Federation has established ties with nearly 480 governmental and non-governmental women's and children's organizations in over 130 countries and regions and received more than 10,000 visitors in recent years, including first ladies, women ministers, members of parliament, entrepreneurs, specialists, scholars and leaders and staff members of women's and children's groups. In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. Indeed, Chinese women have friends all over the world.

China believes that although different countries have different histories and their realities and level of economic development vary, they face some common tasks, similar situation and difficulties with regard to women. China is ready to establish relations with women of all states to learn from each other so as to jointly improve the situation for women. In recent years, Chinese women's organizations have jointly sponsored seminars with their counterparts in the United States, Russia, Japan and other countries to study and exchange views on issues that confront women worldwide.

China has taken an active part in international cooperative projects concerning women. At the request of UNESCO, the Asia-Pacific Development Center and United Nations University, China has undertaken research projects on Chinese women and submitted many reports which have all been well received. Over the past decade, the All-China Women's Federation has cooperated with the United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Women's Development Fund, United Nations University, Canadian International Development Agency and other governmental and non-governmental organizations in over 700 projects in 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The schemes include such items as eliminating illiteracy among rural women and providing them with practical technical training, offering vocational training for job-seeking young urban women, training kindergarten teachers, and promoting women's and children's health care and family education. Over 300,000 women have taken part in these programs and the results have been outstanding. The Assistance for Youth Employment Project has been awarded a special prize by the United Nations Women's Development Fund, and the All-China Women's Federation has been highly commended as an ideal partner for international cooperation.

Support has flowed from China for efforts by developing countries to foster women's participation in economic development. Since 1980, China has provided 101 batches of material assistance to women's and children's organizations in 50 countries.The provisions included sewing and embroidery machines, cultural and sports facilities, and clothes and toys. They have helped vocational training for unemployed urban young women and promoted women's work. To meet the needs of these countries, China has in recent years dispatched technical groups specializing in straw, flax and corn straw weaving and embroidery to Mozambique, Mexico, Mauritius, Uganda and Ecuador to help raise the production skills of local women. These contributions have received high praise from the local governments and people.

China adheres to the United Nations theme of equality, development and peace when taking part in international bilateral and multilateral women's activities.

In upholding the principle of equality between men and women, China believes this concept concerns not only the interests of women but also the full employment of the wisdom of humanity and total utilization of social productive forces. Equality is a prerequisite for women's participation in social development. In March 1985, at the third preliminary session on reviewing the achievements of the UN Decade for Women, the Chinese delegate pointed out, "Equality between men and women has been the goal of the women's movement for a long time. The United Nations Decade for Women has scored marked progress in legislative equality, but this is not enough.... We believe that strategically we must stress that efforts must be made at the international, regional and national levels to work out active plans in order to reach a genuine equality; every governmental and non-governmental organization should provide legal services for women and make it possible for them to adopt legal weapons to protect their legitimate rights." At present, political, economic, social, family and racial discrimination against women continue to exist in some countries to varying degrees. Hence, a significant narrowing of the gap between law and reality remains an important and arduous task for every government and the international community at large.

China is convinced that the key to achieving sexual equality is to enable women to take part in development as the equals of men. Women provide great momentum for human progress, and without their participation, true progress is not possible. Nowadays, many obstacles still prevent women from fully taking part in social development. In addition to formulating laws and regulations to ensure the right to equal participation, it is necessary to strengthen women's education so that women's talents are developed and their scientific and cultural standards and management skills can be enhanced. For historical reasons and as a result of an unfair and irrational global economic order, most of the developing countries suffer from a low level of economic development and back-wardness in science and technology. This has seriously hindered women's participation in social and economic development, hence their low social status. For this reason, the international economic order should be thoroughly transformed. Bilateral and multilateral economic and technical cooperation should be developed so that women worldwide, and especially those from developing countries, can enjoy the right to participate in social development as men's equals.

China believes that women are a great force in maintaining world peace, and this is closely linked to the future of our planet and the destiny of the mankind, women in particular. Without peace, development and sexual equality are out of the question. However, in today's world, acts which go against the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law still exist. These include such practices as the big bullying the small, the strong domineering over the weak, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and violating their sovereignty, and armed aggression and occupation of the territory of other states. Local wars and regional conflicts have been incessant. China firmly supports the struggle by women and the entire humanity against external aggression and interference and the efforts to safeguard national independence, promote national economies and women's advancement. China believes that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal. Countries should abide by the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. The internal affairs of a state should be solved by its own people, while international matters should be settled through consultation among countries. Over the years, Chinese women have made unremitting efforts to maintain world peace, and to fight against imperialism, old and new colonialism, hegemonism, racism of various forms, fascism and all forms of terrorism.

As the host country of the Fourth World Conference on Women, China will make positive efforts to ensure its success. Since the United Nations accepted the application of the Chinese government and decided to hold the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995, the Chinese government has attached great importance to its preparatory work. In August 1992, the State Council set up an Organization Committee consisting of leaders from 30 relevant ministries, the Beijing municipal government and mass groups to be fully responsible for the preparation. Chaired by State Councilor Peng Peiyun, the committee stresses that the preparation for the conference should also be used as an opportunity to promote the role of Chinese women in social development and sexual equality. In March 1993, Chinese Premier Li Peng stressed in the Report on Government Work at the First Session of the Eighth National People's Congress, "We should make the Fourth World Conference on Women a success." This is a call to the Chinese people for general mobilization and also a solemn pledge to the international community. At present, the Chinese government is earnestly carrying out its responsibilities as a host country and increasing its contacts and cooperation with UN organizations, governments and relevant non-governmental organizations in the world. It is exerting its utmost efforts to facilitate the convocation of the conference and contribute to the global advancement of women.