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[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] China has fully revised the "Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests," which strengthens women's rights, including the prohibition of gender discrimination against women.

Photo by Huanqiu Shibao Capture

This is the first full revision of China's Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests in 30 years. China enacted the law related to women in October 1992 and partially revised it in 2005 and 2018. Some voices say that the full revision of the law aligns with President Xi Jinping's vision of common prosperity (a society where all 1.4 billion people live well and eat well).

According to state-run Xinhua News Agency and Global Times on the 31st, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) held its 37th meeting the day before and passed the amendment to the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests. Chinese media such as Xinhua explained that the amendment emphasizing the protection of women's rights and interests was passed and that the revised law will officially take effect on January 1 next year.

The core of the revised Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests is gender equality. Chinese media explained the background of the revision, stating that the law was amended to fully realize the socialist state and inherit the core socialist values by allowing women to fully demonstrate their roles according to the constitution.

To this end, the law explicitly states that women enjoy equal rights with men in all aspects, including politics, economy, society, and culture.

In particular, the revised law specifically includes strict prohibition of gender-based sexual harassment within Chinese society. It established provisions banning sexual harassment to prevent infringement on women's human rights and mandated education to prevent and eradicate sexual harassment.

It also prohibits the abduction, human trafficking, and prostitution of women and includes effective measures to address school sexual violence, dating violence, and domestic violence.

The revised law also addresses women's rights regarding childbirth. It explicitly states that women have the right to bear children and the freedom not to bear children.

In this regard, Beijing lawyer L? Xiaoqian said, "Guaranteeing the fetus's right to life for women is an important implementation of the basic national policy of gender equality."

Women's education is also clearly defined. Parents or guardians must ensure that female minors of school age receive compulsory education, and if they fail to send them to school without justifiable reasons, they may be punished.

Labor rights are also stated to be equal to those of men. The revised law specifies that preference for men in employment (recruitment) processes is prohibited, and private information such as marital status and childbirth should not be inquired about or investigated during recruitment beyond basic information. The law also includes provisions that no separate hiring criteria unfavorable to women should be established.

Along with this, the law was revised to apply equal pay for equal work between men and women, prohibit discrimination against women in promotions, and forbid reductions in wages and welfare benefits due to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, or childcare.

Guo Linmao, director of the Social Law Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said about the revised law, "Protecting women's rights and interests is an important part of the national human rights policy," and added, "Following the people-centered development philosophy of the 20th Party Congress, we will improve laws and systems to protect women's legitimate rights and interests."

Global Times welcomed the revision of the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, noting that this year, an incident occurred in a restaurant where a woman was assaulted by several men, and in Jiangsu Province, a woman who was trafficked was subjected to inhumane treatment, shocking Chinese society.

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's revelation that she was sexually assaulted by a high-ranking official also brought China's gender inequality issues to the international spotlight.

Some predict that the legalization of employment equality for Chinese women will lead to increased labor costs such as corporate welfare expenses. Since employment equality aligns with President Xi Jinping's common prosperity vision, it is pointed out that China's labor costs are expected to rise accordingly.