{"id":80002,"date":"2023-05-26T13:30:07","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T03:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=80002"},"modified":"2023-05-26T13:19:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T03:19:41","slug":"where-are-the-women-in-chinese-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/where-are-the-women-in-chinese-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Where are the women in Chinese politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 20th Chinese Communist Party National Congress, held in October 2022, caught the world\u2019s attention\u2014not least because there wasn\u2019t a single woman among the politburo\u2019s 24 members, breaking a tradition of two decades. While the number of women in key political roles globally is steadily improving, female representation in the CCP has worsened over time.<\/p>\n

Patriarchal norms undoubtedly contribute to Chinese women\u2019s underrepresentation in political leadership, but this is not a situation that Chinese women alone face. In many societies, women pursuing a career in politics are challenging their traditional gender roles. Hence they are often seen as lacking the necessary credentials or criticised for not being \u2018real\u2019 women. But there are several factors that have made the absence of women so severe in Chinese politics.<\/p>\n

The CCP\u2019s commitment to women\u2019s emancipation is reflected in Mao Zedong\u2019s famous claim that \u2018women hold up half the sky\u2019. But this commitment has overlooked women\u2019s political rights. The party-state\u2019s policies addressing\u00a0gender inequality<\/a>\u00a0have largely focused on promoting women\u2019s economic roles. Women are effectively seen as a reserve labour force that contributes to the greater cause of nation-building and economic development. But when the CCP\u2019s economic needs come into conflict with the goal of full female employment, women\u2019s equality takes\u00a0second place<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a01954 Constitution<\/a>\u00a0of the People\u2019s Republic of China was written with the provision that women should enjoy equal political rights to men, but concrete measures to improve Chinese women\u2019s political status are still lacking. It was not until 1982 that the\u00a0Constitution of the Communist Party of China\u00a0was\u00a0amended to include<\/a>\u00a0a vague statement that \u2018the Party attaches great importance to the training and promotion of female officials\u2019\u2014which remains the only mention of women\u2019s political rights in the central document outlining the missions and goals of the CCP.<\/p>\n

One important measure to increase the number of Chinese women in political leadership would be to introduce an effective gender quota system. The National People\u2019s Congress, China\u2019s legislative body and highest state organ, is the only national-level political institution that has adopted some form of gender quota. But the system is ambiguous; since 1988, the NPC\u00a0has only provided<\/a> that\u00a0the proportion of female delegates in each term \u2018should not be lower\u2019 than the last.<\/p>\n

While this provision has enabled the NPC to claim that a record number of women are serving as delegates each term, women only make up 26.54% of China\u2019s congress. No other institution of political power\u2014the CCP Central Committee, the State Council or the Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference\u2014has adopted gender quotas.<\/p>\n

At the provincial and prefecture levels, the CCP Central Committee suggested in 2001 that CCP committees, governments, people\u2019s congresses and political consultative conferences \u2018should each have at least one female cadre in its leadership\u2019. But in practice, the minimal gender quota is often interpreted literally, with most jurisdictions having only one female cadre.<\/p>\n

Apart from the lack of quotas, the party-state\u2019s elite recruitment criteria also hinder women from progressing up the power hierarchy.\u00a0Research<\/a>\u00a0shows that both male and female political leaders in China are appointed on the basis of age, education, CCP membership and experience. These leaders usually rise to provincial leadership in their early 50s. But the expected role of women as\u00a0child-bearers and -rearers<\/a>\u00a0delays their entrance into the power race. And because women are required to retire five years earlier than their male colleagues, they are less likely to be considered for promotions.<\/p>\n

In terms of educational attainment, nearly all provincial leaders, regardless of gender, have studied at university, and more than 80% hold a master\u2019s or a doctorate degree. The CCP\u2019s emphasis on higher education further disadvantages women, as Chinese girls have\u00a0less access to education<\/a>. Though the gender gap in education has been closing in recent years, the impact that lifting the one-child policy will have on women\u2019s educational opportunities is still to be seen.<\/p>\n

The overwhelming majority of China\u2019s political leaders are members of the CCP, but the party itself is a \u2018boys club\u2019\u2014more than 70% of its members are men. Women\u2019s under-representation in the CCP further undermines their chances of advancement. And while ministries and state-owned enterprises are talent pools for the selection of political elites, women\u2019s lack of access to leadership posts in these sectors further reduces their opportunities to be considered for positions of power.<\/p>\n

It is long past time for the CCP to live up to Mao\u2019s rhetoric on women\u2019s empowerment. Introducing an effective gender quota system, addressing barriers such as recruitment criteria and educational disparities, diversifying the CCP and providing more opportunities for women in leadership positions are crucial steps towards increasing female representation in Chinese politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 20th Chinese Communist Party National Congress, held in October 2022, caught the world\u2019s attention\u2014not least because there wasn\u2019t a single woman among the politburo\u2019s 24 members, breaking a tradition of two decades. 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