Conference on Gender Equality & the Legal Protection of Women's Interests

The China Women´s University – under the umbrella of the All-China Women´s Federation - and the FES Beijing office jointly hosted a webinar on Gender Equality & the Legal Protection of Women's Interests.

In China, a revision of the law on the protection of women's rights and interests was announced in October 2022. The law came into force on 1 January 2023. According to Chinese media reports, the revision of the law is aimed not least at giving women equal opportunities for participation and chances for fulfillment, while reducing gender discrimination in the world of work. The text of the law states that the state will take the necessary measures to promote equality between men and women, eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and prohibit the exclusion or restriction of the exercise of women's rights and interests in accordance with the law. The inviolability of women's human dignity is particularly emphasized.

Experts and students from the Chinese women´s University like Prof. Sun Xiaomei as well as from different departments of the All-China women´s federation discussed the content, the chances and the challenges of the revised law, while sharing experiences on the legal protection of women´s interests with the following German/Austrian experts: Herta Däubler-Gmelin, former minister of justice; Dr. Katharina Mader, Assistant Professor, Vienna University of Economics and Business; Prof. Dr. Christina Holtz-Bacha, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität; as well as Clarissa Rudolph, OTH Regensburg.

Looking back on the fight for equal rights for men and women in Germany, Minister Däubler-Gmelin quoted the well-known maxim: "If you want a human society, you have to overcome the male one”