In 2015, China’s cabinet released an address titled “Gender Equality and Women’s Development in China that outlined and highlighted the actions and policies that China’s government enacted to the cause of equality for women within China’s borders. Specifically, the address highlighted various institutional approaches, economic influences, access to education as well as health services, among others.
Institutionally, in 1990 China created the “National Working Committee on Children and Women.” The committee’s main purpose it to place pressure on China’s internal departments to promote gender equality and women’s development. Along with this, China has put continuous increasing emphasis on women’s development in some of their last released “five year plans.” China also, improved its gender statistics system that records women’s conditions throughout China.
Economically, China has worked to promote equal participation in the country’s economic development. Particularly by focusing on poverty amongst women. China has laws in place that ensure equal employment right for women, for example through “Special Regulations on Labor Protection of Female Employees”. The State also assists those seeking employment and those who are starting their own business through a type of guaranteed loan. This structure is geared specifically to “the development of housekeeping services in urban areas and handicrafts, such as weaving and knitting, in rural areas.” the state also has regulations that protects rural women’s right to land.
Educationally, China has implemented measures to improve equality in education through the “Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China” aimed at improving women’s education. Other measures allocate special funds to decrease the amount of illiterate women through increased access to vocational education and skill learning as well as minorities given increased access to schooling. The increase of access to education is coming through the fact that gender equality spreading in teaching and scientific research.
With women’s health, China has implemented maternal and child health care programs through a network system of service put in place made made to be more equitable and accessible. The country has also induced subsidized child births in rural hospitals to increase hospital birth rates and increase infant health. Along with the increase in hospital birth rates, access to cervical and breast cancer exams in rural areas has also increased.