The inadequate employment of women aroused concern from the All-China Women's Federation, a national women's organization, despite marked improvements made over the past few years, and women's representatives to the top advisory body urged the government to improve the women's employment situation in the country.

The problems that keep women off their job posts "still cannot be ignored," said Mo Wenxiu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Tuesday.

In a keynote speech at the on-going CPPCC annual session, Mo listed the problems as the follows:

-- The employment ratio of women has dropped. A 2000 survey shows the rate for male urbanites dropped by 8.5 percentage points from that in 1990, whereas the rate for urban women declined by 12.6 percentage points;

-- Women laid-offs from state-owned enterprises are very hard to find new jobs owing to their age and lack of professional skills;

-- A growing number of female college graduates are not preferred by employers, including enterprises or even government departments;

-- It is difficult for women to open their own businesses due to a lack of training in professional skills and management expertise; and

-- The women workers' rights and benefits are more often encroached upon than male workers as some employers often decline to sign labor contracts with women workers and some others underpay female employees.

Mo, who serves as vice chairperson of the All-China Women's Federation, called on governments at all levels to keep improving employment and reemployment policies in favor of women job seekers and provide them with more training and related services.

She also would like to see a sound legal system to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of the women workers.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2004)