Page 124 - Chinese Woman Living and Working

WOMEN’S POLITICAL WORK AND ‘WOMEN’S WORK’ 111
international reputation on women’s rights. Ye noted that, because the numbers of
women in politics are used as the most importance international benchmarks for women’s
status, China should be concerned to improve its record (Ye Zhonghai 2000:208).
In 1995, as part of its preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women to be
held in Beijing, the State Council—the supreme level of the National People’s Congress—
developed the Program for the Development of Chinese Women (1995–2000). It highlighted the
importance of expanding women’s participation in the decision-making and management
of state and social affairs. Its first target was a two-pronged attack on low rates of
women’s participation in leadership.

• The participation of women in the decision-making and management of state and
social affairs.
• Actively work to take into account the role of women at all levels of government
leadership and to raise the percentage of the women leaders in government
departments.
• Among the members of the leadership of the sectors, departments and enterprises and
firms where women workers are concentrated there should be more female leaders
(State Council 1995).

In 2001, a ten-year plan for women’s development was released and promoted
internationally with similar ‘semi-specific’ targets for women’s participation.

1 To enhance women’s participation in administration, management and decision-
making in state and social affairs.
2 To raise the proportion of women in the administration. To make efforts to ensure
that there is more than one woman in the leading bodies of governments at all levels
and that women are represented in the leading bodies of more than half of the
ministries and commissions under the State Council and in the leading bodies of
more than half of the government departments at the provincial and prefecture
levels. To introduce measures to ensure a significant increase in the number of
women holding principal office or posts of major importance.
3 To work to ensure a gradual increase in the percentage of women cadres among the
total cadre force.
4 To make efforts to ensure that the percentage of women in the management of the
professions and sectors where women predominate is in proportion to their
percentage therein.
5 To aim at ensuring an appropriate percentage of women among the members of
villagers committees and residents’ committees.
6 To expand channels for and enhance women’s democratic participation (State
Council 2001).

Rates of women’s participation in politics, it appears, now serve as tools to legitimize the
continuation of socialism in China and to enhance China’s international reputation.
Women’s participation in politics is still useful to the CCP—but in quite different ways