The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) Chairwoman Chen Zhili called for government departments to help more women get employed.

Chen, also vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said at a Wednesday meeting that authorities should guide women towards seizing opportunities and making achievements.

The ACWF, together with three government departments including the Ministry of Science and Technology, initiated a program in 1991 to help women find jobs or set up their own business.

Chen called for the program to expand its service to all female labors in the country, especially college graduates and migrant workers who returned to the countryside.

Currently, women account for 45.4 percent of China's total employed population, the ACWF's figures showed.

(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2009)