1. There are 711.5 million employees in China. Female employees total 330 million, accounting for 46% of the total, an increase of 0.3% from 1995. Women account for 37.9% in enterprises; 43.4% in institutions; 24.4% in state organs, Party and government departments and NGOs; 43.5% in service trades; and 57% in sectors of public health, physical culture, and social welfare service. Among the 5.95 million registered unemployed people in cities and towns, women occupy 49% and the rate is 3.1%.

2. Proportion of Women in Professional and Technical Personnel in the Past Five Years (%)

1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
38.7	39.3	39.9	40.6	41.0

 
3. There are 44 women academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 6.7% of the total; and there are 34 women academicians in the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5.5% of the total. Therefore, the amount of women academicians in the two academies is 78 or 6% of the total at present.
 

             In 2000, the net rate of female students in primary schools was 99.07%, 0.87% more than that in 1995. The gap with male students reduced to 0.07% from 0.7% in 1995. Meanwhile, the rate of female dropouts from primary schools was reduced by 0.88%. The proportion of female students in polytechnic schools increased to over 50%. For the first time, the proportion of female students in colleges exceeded 40% in 2000. Also, women's vocational education developed further. In 2000, the number of female students in vocational middle schools increased 8.7% compared with that in 1995, and the number of female students receiving adult higher education increased 37.6%.

1. Poverty Elimination
By the end of 2000, China had basically finished its plan for poverty elimination made in 1987, solving the food problem of 50 million poverty-stricken people. Among them around 50% were rural women. The state increased its input in the task of poverty elimination with each passing year, from 9.785 billion yuan in 1994 to 24.815 billion yuan in 2000. The sum came to 112.7 billion yuan, three times the total input in the period from 1986 to 1993. In 1998, the input in the form of small loans to rural poverty-stricken women all over the country was about two billion yuan, covering 1.816 million poverty-stricken families.

From 1995 to 1999, the Central Government totally provided 43.55 billion yuan in soft loans with a 3% uniform annual interest rate. Up to the end of 1999, the guarantee system of the minimum standard of living had been set up in all the cities (counties) of China. The 2.81 million urban dwellers including women whose life is under the minimum standard were aided. Beginning on July 1, 1999, the state increased by a big margin the income of the low-income earners in cities and towns. The relative measures also include increasing by 30% the standards of the basic life guarantee and unemployment insurance for laid-off workers of state owned enterprises and the minimum standard of living for urban dwellers.

2. Eliminating Illiteracy
With a reduction in the rate of illiterate women, the gap in the levels of education between men and women is also reduced. In 1995, 13.4 million young and middle-aged women became literate in China. By 2000, the rate of illiteracy among young and middle-aged people went down under 5%; the rate of illiterate women in 1999 reduced 2.5% from 1995; and the gap in the rates of adult illiteracy between men and women was reduced from 19% in 1990 to 13% in 1999. Meanwhile, the difference between men and women in the years of receiving education reduced from 1.7 years in 1995 to 1.5 years.

            National Working Committee on Children and Women Under the State Council Founded on February 22, 1990, the National Working Committee on Children and Women Under the State Council (NWCCW) is a coordination and discussion organization through which the State Council plays a role in the work on children and women. It is responsible for urging the government departments to carry out various laws, policies, statutes and measures about children and women and developing the children and women cause. The NWCCW is made up of ministers from 29 ministries and commissions, including the State Development Planning Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance, as well as the principal leaders from various social groups.

            The basic functions of the NWCCW are: to coordinate and promote various government departments' work on the protection of the rights and interests of children and women; to coordinate and promote the establishment and implementation of the children and women development programs; to coordinate and promote the government departments concerned to provide the necessary manpower, money and materials for the work on children and women; to guide, urge and examine the work of the working committees on children and women in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. Wu Yi, the State Councilor, is the Director of the NWCCW. The NWCCW set up the office under it.

            Department of Community Health and Maternal & Child Health, Ministry of Health The basic functions of the Department of Community Health and Maternal & Child Health are: to work out complete regulations, technological standards and operation criterions according to the Law of the PRC on Maternal and Infant Health Care; to supervise the implementation of the law and the special techniques related to women and infant health; to draw up the in-service training plans for the supervisors of the law, technological appraisers and professional personnel; to work out the measures checking on the professional personnel and the recognition of their professional qualification; to draw up the plans, policies and technical criterions of promoting the quality of the birth population and guide the implementation; to work out the plans, managing measures and technological criterions for women's health care and guide the implementation so as to control the main women's diseases; to formulate and guide the implementation of the measures of the establishment and management of women and infants health organizations and their technological and service criterions; to be responsible for the observation of women and children health and the management of information for annual report; to enhance international cooperation and exchanges in terms of women health.

            Department of Medical Insurance and Department of Labor & Wages, Ministry of Labor & Social Security. The Department of Medical Insurance is responsible for managing medical insurance, insurance for industrial accidents and birth insurance for workers in cities and towns and staff members of departments and institutions, as well as drawing up and implementing the policies and plans concerned.

            The Department of Labor & Wages is the functional department responsible for adjusting the labor relations and the macro regulations of wage distribution in the enterprises. One of the important functions is to work out the working time, rest and leave system and the policy of special labor protection for women workers in the enterprises.
 

            Office of Workers, Youth and Women, Committee on Internal and Judicial Affairs of the National People's Congress The Office of Workers, Youth and Women, is an important part of the Committee on Internal and Judicial Affairs of the NPC. In daily work, it is responsible for contacting the government departments and NGOs concerned with the problems of guaranteeing the rights and interests of women and children. The main responsibilities are: to carry out the research and draft in terms of the legislation on women, children and juveniles and do the preparations before the discussion of the law cases; to undertake the drafting of the opinion documents discussed by the presidium of the NPC; to make examinations on the status of the implementation of the laws on women, children and juveniles; to check on the records of the local statutes of women, children and juveniles; and to deal with the letters from the masses about women, children and juveniles.

            The People's Congress, at various levels in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, have corresponding institutions for guaranteeing the rights and interests of women and children.
 

             Talented Women Working Committee of China Society for the Research of Talented People Founded in June 1963, the Talented Women Working Committee is composed of people from various circles at home and abroad who have the ability of doing academic research and devote to the research of development of talented people. It aims to study problems on the talented women, probe the rule of women's growing into talented people, promote the development of the talented women and give full play to the role of women in the economic development and reform and opening up of China.

             China Women Entrepreneurs Association Founded in 1985, the China Women Entrepreneurs Association has 33 group members and over 7,000 individual members across provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, aiming to serve women entrepreneurs’ heart and soul.

             Women's Committee of Returned Scholars Association Founded in 1985, the Women's Committee of Returned Scholars Association has 2,000 members, aiming to enhance academic exchanges and promote mutual understanding and friendly relations among the women scholars of various circles at home and abroad.

             Chinese Women Geological Workers' Committee of the Geological Association of China Founded in March 1990, the main functions of the Chinese Women Geological Workers' Committee are to provide women geologists and scientists with more chances of scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation and to publicize the role of women in the field of geology.

             Women Workers' Committee of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Founded on February 5, 1991, the Women Workers' Committee of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions is a democratic and representative organization for women workers. Its main functions are to stand for and protect women workers' legitimate rights and special interests and carry out different work according to women workers' characteristics and wills.

             Women Mayors Chapter of China Association of Mayors Founded in March 1991, the Women Mayors Chapter of China Association of Mayors through various activities, studies the common problems occurring to female mayors, publicizes female mayors' achievements and builds the good image of female mayors, so as to improve the quality of female mayors as a whole and promote the urban development.

             Women's Committee of the Society for the Advancement of Revolutionary Base Areas Founded on March 22, 1991, the Women's Committee of the Society for the Advancement of Revolutionary Base Areas is the functional department for the work on women in the revolutionary base areas, aiming to serve the people in the revolutionary base areas in terms of material and moral building. development.

             China Women Scientific and Technological Workers Association Founded on September 30, 1993, the China Women Scientific and Technological Workers Association is a non-profit group voluntarily organized by women from scientific and technological circles and women who care for the development of science and technology. It aims to encourage and support women scientific and technological workers to care for and participate in the development of science, economy, politics and society, unite women scientific and technological workers together, give full play to their capabilities, and improve their quality as a whole.

             China Women Tourism Committee of the China Tourism Association Founded on January 20, 1994, the China Women Tourism Committee, as a national association for women in the tourism industry, is a professional organization under the China Tourism Association. It is composed of female managing personnel in the tourism departments and departments related to tourism industry, as well as women experts and scholars who research on tourism.

             Committee of Chinese Women City Planners of Chinese City Planners Association Founded on March 8, 1994, the main functions of the Committee of Chinese Women City Planners are to enhance academic exchanges, promote advanced technologies, improve the professional capability of female city planners, timely reflect their views and suggestions, and protect their legitimate rights and interests.

             China Women Judges Association Founded on May 7, 1994, the China Women Judges Association has 29 group members and 17,528 individual members. It aims to unite women judges across China to study intensively the law, enlarge professional knowledge, improve the qualities and status of women judges, reflect women judges' voices, and protect their legitimate rights and interests. It also publicizes the law and provides people with counseling services on the law.

             China Women Procurators Association Founded on November 17, 1994, the China Women Procurators Association aims to conduct the research on professional theories and issues on practice, enhance professional learning, facilitate exchanges of women procurators' experiences in executing the law, and improve their own qualities. It has 26,000 members at present.

             China Women Photographers Association Founded on April 18, 1995, the China Women Photographers Association is an academic mass group composed of professional and amateur women photographers. Its main activities are holding exhibitions for women photographers, academic research, professional training and counseling service, as well as enhancing exchanges among women photographers from both home and other countries. It has 243 members at present.

             Women Entrepreneurs' Association of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Founded on May 25, 1995, the Women Entrepreneurs' Association is a membership association of women entrepreneurs under the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. Its members are all outstanding women presidents, managers, factory directors and senior managing talents recommended by local federations of industry and commerce. At present it has 200 members.

             Society of Chinese Women Doctors Founded on July 6, 1995, the Society of Chinese Women Doctors aims to unite female medical workers to devote themselves to the program of modernization, enhance academic research on medicine, strengthen mutual understanding, exchanges and cooperation among women medical workers.