China
Women’s Rights Remain Marginalized at China’s Two Sessions
At China’s 2025 Two Sessions, women’s rights received minimal focus despite a global summit announcement. Representation increased slightly, but advocacy declined, reflecting a reluctance to prioritize women’s issues in policy.
Limited Focus on Women’s Rights
At China’s 2025 Two Sessions, women’s rights received scant attention, despite an announcement of a global summit on gender equality later that year. While there is a slight increase in female representation within the National People’s Congress (NPC), the advocacy for women’s issues is noticeably declining. This lack of commitment highlights a broader reluctance to incorporate women’s rights into China’s core policy agenda, where such issues are often relegated to serve goals like social stability and economic growth.
The Two Sessions Context
The annual "Two Sessions" meetings, which involve over 5,000 members from the NPC and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), predominantly focused on economic and employment plans in March 2025. However, a significant yet understated initiative emerged: the announcement of a Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This event, proposed by President Xi Jinping, aims to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women but underscores that gender equality remains a low priority for the Chinese state.
Declining Advocacy for Women’s Interests
Though a gender quota from 1988 has marginally increased women’s representation—currently 26.5% of NPC delegates and 22.4% of CPPCC members—advocacy for women’s issues in policymaking is waning. Reports indicated just eight proposals in 2025 addressing women’s issues, down from thirteen in 2024. This decline suggests that, while female representation has improved on paper, the impact on actual policy advocacy remains minimal, reflecting a concerning trend in the prioritization of women’s rights within China’s political landscape.
Source : Women’s rights remain on the sidelines at China’s Two Sessions
