Zhang Zijun and Wang Lu: The Great Practice of Women's Liberation and Development Under the Leadership of the Communist Party of China
For over a hundred years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has consistently remained committed to writing the realization of women's liberation and development, as well as the achievement of gender equality, onto its own banner of struggle, leading Chinese women's liberation and development to historic achievements.
The founding of the Communist Party of China brought a brand-new look to the Chinese women’s movement
The founding of the CPC not only opened a new chapter in the Chinese proletarian revolution but also provided new theoretical guidance and practical paths for the Chinese women's liberation movement; from that point on, the Chinese women’s movement took on a brand-new look.
First, there was now a strong and powerful core of leadership. From the Opium War to the eve of the May Fourth Movement [1], Chinese women’s liberation was restricted by a lack of scientific theory and necessary material conditions, and the social status of women failed to undergo a fundamental change. After the founding of the CPC, the Party reorganized the Chinese Women’s Federation, established the Party’s provisional central women’s organs, and founded the publication Women’s Voice (Funü sheng), providing an organizational basis and a propaganda front for women’s liberation. Second, there was now a scientific theoretical foundation. The "Resolution on the Women's Movement" adopted by the Second National Congress of the CPC used the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and methodology to explain the roots of women’s oppression and the relationship between women’s liberation and socialism. This marked the establishment of the Marxist view of women in China and laid the theoretical foundation for the Party’s leadership of women’s liberation. Third, there was now a clear and definite goal of struggle. Gender equality is the goal of struggle for women’s liberation and development; the Party wrote the political proposition of gender equality into its manifestos from its very inception. During the period of the Chinese Soviet Republic [2], the Party formulated the "Outline of the Constitution of the Chinese Soviet Republic," the first document to embody the principle of gender equality.
The founding of the CPC was the great starting point and fundamental turning point in the process of Chinese women's liberation and development. The Party's leadership of the women's liberation movement forcefully promoted the Sinicization of Marxist women's theory, providing the initial and most fundamental path guidance for the liberation and development of women in New China.
The founding of New China laid an important cornerstone for the cause of Chinese women
After the founding of New China, the CPC led the people of the whole country in establishing the socialist system, laying an important cornerstone for the cause of Chinese women and bringing the practice of women’s liberation and development into a new stage.
First was the construction of a basic legal system to protect women’s rights and interests. In May 1950, the first basic law promulgated after the founding of New China—the "Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China"—was implemented, liberating the masses of women from the feudal marriage system. The "Land Reform Law of the People’s Republic of China" (1950), the "Electoral Law of the People’s Republic of China for the National People’s Congress and Local People’s Congresses at All Levels" (1953), and the "Constitution of the People’s Republic of China" (1954) all explicitly stipulated that women enjoy equal rights with men in all respects, constructing a legal framework for protecting women's basic rights and realizing gender equality. Second was the establishment of the Women's Federation, marking the entry of women's liberation and development into a nationwide and organized stage. From the establishment of the All-China Democratic Women's Federation to the formulation of the "Charter of the All-China Women's Federation," and then to its renaming as the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), Chinese women’s liberation and development completed a key transition from spontaneous and dispersed efforts to unified, organized, and institutionalized operations. Third was leading women to invest themselves in socialist construction. From the "Dalian-Port-Arthur Women's Locomotive" during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea [3] to the "Seven Sisters" and "Nine Lans Group" and other advanced collectives of women that emerged during the construction of the Ming Tombs Reservoir; from the massive campaign to eliminate illiteracy to the enthusiastic movement of educated youth [4] to the countryside—Chinese women threw themselves into socialist construction with unprecedented enthusiasm, becoming an indispensable and important force in the cause of socialist construction.
After the founding of New China, the CPC further elevated gender equality to the status of national will and legal norms, encouraging women to move out of the home and toward society, exploring a practical path for women's liberation and development with Chinese characteristics.
Reform and opening up achieved new accomplishments in the comprehensive development of Chinese women
After the start of reform and opening up, Chinese women's development faced new opportunities and challenges. The CPC timely adjusted the focus of women's work and launched a new journey for the comprehensive development of women.
First was the formation of a relatively complete system for guaranteeing women's rights and interests. Following reform and opening up, China successively promulgated and implemented the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women" and the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Maternal and Infant Health Care." At the same time, the state increased the intensity of crackdowns on crimes related to women through the Criminal Law, protected the land rights of rural women through the "Rural Land Contracting Law," and guaranteed the right of girls to attend school through the "Education Law," establishing a relatively complete system for guaranteeing women's rights and interests. Second was the establishment of the concept of comprehensive women's development and the construction of a women's development system. Since the "Program for the Development of Chinese Women" was formulated and released in 1995, it has been implemented for three consecutive cycles; various regions and departments have established a women's development system combining national development programs, local development plans, and departmental cooperation. Third was using the Women’s Federation organizations as a grasp [5] to comprehensively improve the level of women's development. The "Charter of the All-China Women's Federation" adopted in 1978 defined the nature of the Women’s Federation organization as a "bridge connecting the Party with the masses of women." Subsequently, the ACWF conducted a survey on the social status of Chinese women every ten years, established the China Association of Women’s Studies, and carried out the "Jin'guo" (Heroine) series of activities [6]; women's liberation and development opened a new chapter under the organization of the ACWF. Fourth was leading women to integrate into the tide of the times in economic development and opening a new chapter in global cooperation among women. After reform and opening up, the proportion of women among all employed persons in society has remained stable at over 40% for a long time, and a large number of outstanding female entrepreneurs and scientists have emerged, demonstrating the practical style of "holding up half the sky" [7]. The "Beijing Declaration" and "Platform for Action"—programmatic documents adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing—marked that China is transforming the fruitful results of its domestic practice into wisdom and strength to promote the development of the global cause of women.
After reform and opening up, through a series of fundamental, overall, and stable institutional constructions and policy innovations, the CPC profoundly responded to the new requirements placed on women by economic and social development and the new expectations of women for their own development.
The New Era creates a new realm of high-quality development for women
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the high-quality development of women, promoting historic achievements and historic changes in the cause of women. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must grasp the opportunities of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, empower the high-quality development of women's causes with scientific and technological innovation, support women in playing a greater role in green development, and strive to let the masses of women have brilliant lives and realize their dreams in the tide of world modernization."
First is the construction of a high-quality governance pattern for protecting women's rights and interests. The "Anti-Domestic Violence Law of the People’s Republic of China" was implemented in 2016, and the "Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China" was implemented in 2021. Action plans against human trafficking, human rights action plans, and employment promotion plans have been released and implemented, and the China Women's Legal Aid Action has been carried out. A comprehensive revision of the "Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women" was conducted, constructing a relatively comprehensive legal framework for the protection of women's rights and interests that covers more than 100 laws and regulations. Second is the pursuit of a favorable environment conducive to the high-quality development of women. The "Program for the Development of Chinese Women (2011–2020)" proposed gender equality reviews; the national level and various provinces and cities have established evaluation mechanisms for gender equality in laws and policies to guarantee a good development environment for women from the legislative source. The state also formulated the "Reform Plan for the All-China Women's Federation" and successively implemented a series of systems and measures, establishing a system that runs through six levels [8] and covers all types of organizations and groups. The Women’s Federation organizations fully play their role as a bridge and a bond to provide organizational guarantees for the high-quality development of women. Third is providing momentum to promote the high-quality development of women's causes. To promote the high-quality development of women's causes, the state level and various provinces and cities have introduced measures such as promoting equal employment for women, women's entrepreneurship and employment, guaranteeing women's health, exploring "Internet+" entrepreneurship service actions, increasing the number of female cadres in leadership teams, and supporting female scientific and technological talents in playing their roles. Fourth is injecting Chinese wisdom into promoting the development of the global cause of women. Through initiating and hosting the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, China systematically proposed "Four China Propositions" with strategic vision and "Four Suggestions" for deepening cooperation. This has not only effectively promoted mutual learning, exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation among women's organizations and talents from various countries but has also contributed a feasible Chinese solution for accelerating the realization of women's development worldwide.
Reviewing the history of Chinese women's liberation and development, the "core code" lies in: promoting the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism under the leadership of the CPC, transforming the universal truths of the Marxist view of women into high-utility action plans for different historical stages, and integrating the liberation and development of women into the epochal mission of national and ethnic development.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "On the new journey, every woman is a writer of the times and a striver chasing her dreams." Today, the development of Chinese women has been integrated into the vivid practice of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it will continue to stimulate the historical initiative and creative potential of hundreds of millions of women, allowing them to shine on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and jointly writing a new chapter in the progress of human civilization!