Chinese Women Still Strive for Equality

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 22, 2003

Chinese Women Still Strive for Equality

Though enjoying legal equality with men, Chinese women still have a long way to go before they enjoy full protection of their rights.

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Though enjoying legal equality with men, Chinese women still have a long way to go before they enjoy full protection of their rights.

The Women's Law Research and Aid Center of Beijing University receives over 100 complaints about the state of women's rights every month. About half of the cases concern marriage problems, and most divorce cases are caused by unfaithful husbands, said Li Ying, a lawyer in the center.

According to Chinese law, an unfaithful husband should take the major responsibility. However, the wife usually cannot get compensation due to a lack of evidence, said Li.

Also, women's property rights cannot be guaranteed in divorce cases, Li explained. Though enjoying higher incomes than ten years ago, Chinese women are still inferior to men in financial status. In some cases, the husband conceals part of his income during marriage, and the wife cannot get her share of the common assets upon divorce, because of a lack of evidence concerning the amount.

According to a survey carried out by All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), there is a big gap between females and males in career opportunities. Besides, the ratio of females enjoying medical insurance, endowment insurance and unemployment insurance is lower than that of males.

"Poverty is still the biggest problem hampering women's participation in politics and employment," said Gu Xiulian, vice chair of the ACWF.

Ma Yinan, a professor of law at the Law School of Beijing University, said, "China issued the law on women's rights in 1992,which has helped to improve the protection of women's rights. However, as more social problems emerge, we need more regulations to better protect women's rights."

At the recent Beijing Eleventh Women's Congress, protection of women's rights was the focus of discussion. Over one fifth of the proposals were about women's rights. Deputies called for the establishment of a cooperative mechanism to counter domestic violence and extend better support to single mothers and needy women. In addition, they called for better protection of the rights of migrant women.

Chinese women account for one fifth of the total population of women in the world. As the largest women's organization in China, the ACWF is devoted to the amendment of the law as it concerns women, to make it an efficient tool for the protection of their rights.

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