Equality, Development and Sharing: Progress of Women's Cause in 70 Years Since New China's Founding

White Paper

(September 2019)

The State Council Information Office of
the People's Republic of China

Equality, Development and Sharing: Progress of Women's Cause in 70 Years Since New China's Founding

Contents

Preface
I. Women's Cause Remains High Priority and Is Actively Promoted in China
II. The Legal System for Protection of Women Rights Constantly Improved
III. Women's Role in Economic and Social Development Becoming Increasingly Prominent
IV. Women's Political Status Has Grown Significantly
V. Women's Education Level Has Risen Significantly
VI. Women's Health Condition Has Improved Dramatically
VII. Social Security for Women Continues to Improve
VIII. Women Play Unique Role in Cultivation of Family Virtues
IX. Women Taking Part in Extensive International Exchanges and Cooperation Activities
Conclusion

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Preface

In the entire course of history, the liberation and progress of women have been indispensable to the liberation and progress of mankind. Since its inception, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been struggling for women's liberation and gender equality. The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 ushered in a new era for women in China, changing their social status from an oppressed and enslaved group in the past thousands of years to masters of their own fate.

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I. Women's Cause Remains High Priority and Is Actively Promoted in China

Boosting the comprehensive development of women and achieving gender equality have been perceived as important components of the socialism system with Chinese characteristics. China has always attached great importance to such development and equality.

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II. The Legal System for Protection of Women Rights Constantly Improved

Women's rights belong to the realm of basic human rights. In China, the protection of women's rights has been included in laws and regulations, manifesting itself as a state will and a norm of intrinsic social behaviors. Since the founding of the New China, a long list of laws and regulations have been drafted and enacted with the initiative of the CPC to improve the status of women.

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III. Women's Role in Economic and Social Development Becoming Increasingly Prominent

Women are indispensable builders of the country. China has promulgated laws and regulations such as the labor law, the employment promotion law, the labor contract law and the law on contracting rural land to fully protect women's economic rights and interests, especially the right to equal employment, ensuring equal pay to men and women for equal work and eliminating gender discrimination in employment.

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IV. Women's Political Status Has Grown Significantly

China attaches importance to ensuring women's equal political rights with men. Since the early years of New China, the state has drawn up and implemented laws to guarantee that women share equal rights with men to vote, to be elected, and to participate in the administration of state affairs.

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V. Women's Education Level Has Risen Significantly

China endows men and women with equal rights to education by formulating and implementing laws and regulations. By upholding the policy of prioritizing education and developing education for the benefit of people, narrowing the education gap between urban and rural areas, actively promoting fairness in education, women's education status has been gradually improved, with their education level greatly lifted.

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VI. Women's Health Condition Has Improved Dramatically

Health of women and children is the cornerstone of the health of all people. China attaches great importance to the development of maternal and child health care, incorporates the protection of women's and children's health into the national strategy, and constantly improves the system of laws and policies on maternal and child health.

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VII. Social Security for Women Continues to Improve

China sticks to ensuring and improving women's livelihood in the course of pursing development. China works to develop a sustainable multi-tiered social security system that covers the entire population in both urban and rural areas, with clearly defined rights and responsibilities, and support that hits the right level. With social security institutionalized, Chinese women have an ever-stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

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VIII. Women Play Unique Role in Cultivation of Family Virtues

Families are the cells of society. Family harmony is good for social stability, family happiness creates social harmony, and family virtues bring about social civilization. China has always attached great importance to family building, focused on protecting women's rights to marriage and family, and increasingly consolidated the equality between men and women in marriage and family relations.

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IX. Women Taking Part in Extensive International Exchanges and Cooperation Activities

China attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation in the field of women. We strongly support women and women's organizations represented by the All-China Women's Federation to actively make friends, build friendships, learn from each other, and promote common development with women around the world. Chinese women's "circle of friends" are constantly growing.

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Conclusion

Every step of the development of women's cause has promoted the progress of human civilization. In the 70 years since New China was founded, Chinese women's cause has made brilliant development. The advance of Chinese women's cause is a course of struggle under the strong leadership of the CPC, where hundreds of millions of women fought for the prosperity of the country and the rejuvenation of the nation.