China’s top women’s affairs official vows to promote marriage and family to harness ‘the power of half the sky’

Shen Yiqin, state councillor and president of the All-China Women’s Federation, says women must contribute to the ‘great cause of national rejuvenation’
She writes in Qiushi she will guide young people’s values relating to dating and having a family to support Communist Party birth policies

China’s Communist Party

Phoebe Zhang

Published: 2:47pm, 16 Nov 2023

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China’s top official on women’s affairs has pledged to promote women’s role in the family and has offered guidance for younger generations on marriage and relationships.

Shen Yiqin, state councillor and newly elected president of the All-China Women’s Federation, wrote in Qiushi, the Communist Party’s top theoretical journal, on Thursday that women must contribute to the “great cause of national rejuvenation and demonstrate the power of half the sky”.

“Women hold up half the sky” is a famous quote by Mao Zedong that reflected the commitment of his government to promoting women’s rights.

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In the article, Shen wrote that the work of women and the federation should always follow the correct political path and the party’s lead.

“President Xi Jinping has pointed out that only by having a harmonious and virtuous family, can our children grow up and our society develop in a healthy way,” she wrote.

She vowed to guide young people’s values relating to dating and having a family to support the party’s birth policies.

To achieve that, Shen said all levels of the federation should support women at work, whether employed in technological innovation or starting their own enterprises.

She said there should be events that seek out exemplary “most beautiful families” to inspire others at the grass-roots level, as well as creating environments friendly to childbirth and children and relieving women of their burden of caring for their families.

China faces a population crisis, with a rapidly declining birth rate and an ageing society. It saw the population decline last year for the first time since 1961 – shrinking its 1.41 billion population by about 850,000 people.

Shen has called for greater effort to eliminate gender discrimination and domestic violence, and provide for the elderly and the children of parents who leave their hometown to work.

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The article follows Xi’s instructions during his meeting with the new leaders of the federation on October 30, where he stressed that the federation should serve as the bond connecting China’s women with the party and the government.

Shen had just become president of the federation days before on October 25.

The federation amended its charter for the first time in five years during its reshuffle, stressing the body’s role under the party’s leadership and the push for women’s work in building China and their families.

It also added that officials in the field should be able to “prevent and resolve risks” and “dare to fight”.

Shen gained national attention during the 20th party congress a year ago when Beijing failed to include her and unveiled its first all-male Politburo in 20 years.

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In March, she was appointed one of the country’s five state councillors, becoming the most senior woman official in the leadership.

Before that Shen, who is from the Bai ethnic group, spent her entire political career in her home province of Guizhou. She served in leading roles in the party school, propaganda and political and legal affairs bodies in Guizhou and finally was provincial party secretary.