With this new law, China wants to better safeguard women from discrimination based on gender

China’s top legislature approved legislation on Sunday that will provide women with greater protection for women’s rights from gender inequality, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. The bill had undergone three revisions and received a lot of public feedback before being sent to the legislature. The measure was passed at a time when campaigners raised to worry about rising official rhetoric praising traditional women’s roles, what some saw as losses for women’s rights, and more restrictive views on abortion.

The new law may or may not take some of those more conservative viewpoints into account. Beyond its adoption, there were no immediate details about the law. The law about women’s safety hasn’t altered in nearly 30 years. On Thursday, a measure with the working title “Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law” was delivered to the NPC’s Standing Committee. On its website, the NPC declared the legislation to have passed.

Tens of thousands of people submitted recommendations for legislation regulating correction against sexual harassment and gender inequality. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee adopted a revised version of the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests of Women, and it will go into effect in 2023.

HOLISTIC FRAMEWORK IMPROVEMENT

The legislation mandates that the state take the appropriate steps to combat gender inequality, stop all types of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against women, and forbid any exclusion of or limitations on women’s rights and interests. Additionally, it mandates that municipal governments at all levels prioritize enhancing their efforts in the pertinent field.

The recently amended law proposes several steps for that purpose. For instance, it requires the inclusion of gender equality, one of China’s fundamental state principles, in the nation’s educational system. According to Jiang Yue, a professor at the School of Law, Xiamen University, the requirements have two goals: raising awareness of the idea of gender equality and eliminating gender discrimination in practice.

They make it easier to apply the law since they specifically establish the fundamental standards for determining gender discrimination and sexual harassment as well. 

TAKING ON DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES

The recently revised law forbids gender discrimination in the workplace and requires that it be covered by the monitoring of labor rights protection when it comes to employment recruitment, admission, promotion, and termination.

The legislation provides that women’s rights and interests in rural collective economic organizations shall not be violated because they are single, married, divorced, widowed, or have no men in their households, to ensure that women enjoy equal rights to the property of men.

According to Li Mingshun, a professor at the China Women’s University, the updated law includes provisions on women’s land rights and associated women’s rights and interests, which address persistent issues in the area and effectively safeguard rural women’s fundamental rights to survival and growth.

The law enhances the safeguarding of women’s safety. It outlines the duties of governments, public security, civil affairs, human resources and social security, and health agencies at all levels about activities that violate women’s rights and interests, such as kidnapping, trafficking, sexual harassment, and abduction.

According to the recently updated law, those who fail to report such violations as required would be held liable.

The revision has focused on providing care for women who live in underprivileged circumstances, including aid for the poor, the elderly, or the disabled, support for employment and entrepreneurship, and other services. The law also mandates that people who require it be given access to mental health care.

A FAMILY-FRIENDLY SOCIETY IS BEING CREATED

According to analysts, several provisions in the recently updated law would promote the development of a society that is family-friendly.

These actions include improving daycare facilities for infants and small children, establishing a comprehensive healthcare system for women gradually, and improving the maternity leave system.

The new Chinese law on women’s rights must increase family access to high-quality, reasonably priced childcare services if it is to end discrimination and gender inequality. 

Businesses should actively make it easy for married workers with children to take care of their family responsibilities, and the government can give employers tax breaks or exemptions to lower their costs.