Premier
Zhu Rongji called upon governments at all levels Tuesday to
safeguard legitimate rights for women and children and clear
obstacles that impair women and children from advancing in China.
The premier asked to further improve education for women and
children, enhance women's participation in politics and social
affairs and promote women's and children's work in the western
region.
Zhu made the remarks Tuesday in Beijing at a National Work
Conference on Women and Children.
The Party and the central government have been attaching great
importance to the role of women in economic and social development
and regard the improvement of women's and children's status as a
significant component of Chinese revolution and construction, the
premier said.
Zhu recalled that great achievements have been made in the past
decade in the improvement of women's and children's status in
China.
More women enjoy better living, education and health services and
have more say in political, economic, social and cultural
affairs.
But problems still exist, the premier warned. He said local
governments must provide sufficient budgetary support for the
development of women and children.
Also Tuesday, an ambitious 10-year national project was formally
launched, promising a wealthier, healthier and better-educated life
by year 2010 for its large population of women and children.
The project is designed to fight against gender discrimination in
employment, which is surging now with the development of the
country's economic reform that resulted in many laid-off women
workers.
While the employment rate of women among the country's total work
force should remain above 40 percent in this decade, women
employees also should enjoy better work conditions with special
gender-generated welfare items such as birth insurance, said Wu Yi,
director of the Chinese
State Council's Work Committee on Women and Children.
Of
China's total labor force, 46.5 percent were women last year,
fairly close to the estimated average level of developed
countries.
In
addition, the central government will push harder for women's wider
participation in politics, enabling them to have a louder voice of
their own.
Related statistics indicate that in 2000, 22 percent of the members
of the country's
National People's Congress and 8 percent of those at decisive
positions in the Chinese Government were women.
By
2010, all girls of proper age should be covered by the country's
compulsory primary-school education, and 75 percent should have the
opportunity to attend high schools. Also, the illiteracy rate among
adult women should be reduced from the 22 percent in 1999 to 15
percent.
(People’s
Daily 10/10/2001)