Credit...Andy Wong/Associated Press (Photo Source: The New York's Times)
The Latest on Women’s Rights in China
While most Chinese women consider a major victory about the recent official announcement that women will have more protection regarding their rights, others are doubtful about “the victory.”
It seems that the government would begin to overhaul its law governing women’s rights for the first time in decades, to refine the definition of sexual harassment, affirm prohibitions on workplace discrimination and ban forms of emotional abuse.
Yet, there are many controversies about the proposed revisions due to a series of conflicting messages by the Chinese government about the country’s growing feminist movement. China’s legislature reviewed the proposed changes regarding the gender equity for the first time last month. In addition, The Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law was substantially revised in 2005 - nearly 30 years after it was enacted.
Amid a looming demographic crisis, the government has also recently emphasized its dedication to women’s employment rights, especially as it urges women to have more children. China’s Supreme Court includes the new three-child policy to the revision, which prohibit employers’ asking women about their marital status or plans to have children. In the meantime, women have also been pushed into traditional gender roles since China’s leader, Xi Jinping, assumed power. Some fear that the campaign to encourage childbirth could be involuntarily.
Cautions have been expressed by feminist activists and they have warned the public not to be too optimistic about the changes.
Ms. Feng Yuan, the founder of Equality, a Beijing-based advocacy group said,“This law, to be honest, is more of a gesture than a specific plan of operation.”
Nonetheless, the revised law would offer the most comprehensive legal definition of sexual harassment, to include behaviors such as sending unwanted sexually explicit images or pressuring someone into a relationship in exchange for benefits. It also instructs schools and employers to introduce anti-harassment training and channels for complaints. The law would also protect women’s right to ask for compensation for housework during divorce proceedings.
(Compiled from online news)