Women's Congress Aims to Close Income Gap, Lift Status

The widening income gap between men and women was the main point for discussion among delegates on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Women's Congress.

"More efforts are needed to give women more opportunities and resources, to improve their abilities in administrating national and social affairs, and to help them play a more important role in cultural development," Song Xiuyan, vice-president of the All-China Women's Federation, said at the opening ceremony.

The congress is expected to draw up a blueprint for the economic advancement of Chinese women in the next five years.

"We will try our best to promote gender mainstreaming in the policymaking process," she said.

Though promoting gender equality was written into the Party's administrative program at the 18th CPC National Congress last year, the ever-widening income gap remains a problem.

According to three national surveys by the National Statistics Bureau, economic inequality between men and women has grown in the last two decades.

Surveys show that in 1990, the annual income of female urban dwellers was about 77.5 percent of that of their male counterparts. The ratio declined to 70 percent in 1999 and 67.3 percent in 2010.

The situation in rural areas is worse. The ratio was about 79 percent in 1999, but in 2010, it dropped to 56 percent.

"Gender inequality has become imminent, which is a direct result of discrimination," said Zhou Haibin, an official with the International Labor Organization.

"The idea that men are the breadwinners and women are in charge of domestic affairs is more or less entrenched in people's minds, leading to inequality in employment, promotion and income," said Zhou.