The Tribune

By DAI QINGLI,

Chinese ambassador to The Bahamas,

Speaking on International Women’s Day on Friday

THREE years ago today, on International Women’s Day 2021, a new chapter began for me as I left Beijing to serve as the first woman ambassador of China to The Bahamas.

Reflecting on this tenure, I am continuously inspired by the formidable women in The Bahamas, whose substantial achievements have not only sculpted their nation’s landscape but have also shone as a beacon of our collective strength and the transformative power we possess when united in purpose and action.

On this International Women’s Day, we have a lot to celebrate, for Bahamian women and for women around the world.

Despite the shared adversities that women across the globe encounter, the historical and cultural challenges that Chinese women had faced had been particularly profound.

I think of my aunt, who was born in 1927 and died many years ago. She had strange, tiny feet called bound feet. Like many other girls of her generation, since she was five or six years old, her feet had been tightly bandaged with a long strip of cloth day and night by her mother, until they became completely deformed and could no longer grow.

Girls had to suffer such an ordeal for centuries because of some men’s distorted aesthetic preference. This was the ultimate representation of the oppression of women in China.

Contrastingly, my mother, born 16 years after my aunt, witnessed a groundbreaking triumph for gender equality in 1949 with the founding of the People’s Republic of China led by the Communist Party of China.

The Communist Party saw the liberation of women as an inherent part of their revolutionary struggle. Chairman Mao Zedong famously said: “Women can hold up half of the sky.” This means that women can do whatever men can.

This empowering statement changed the destinies of Chinese women forever. My mother’s generation reaped the benefits of this emancipation, accessing education and employment opportunities that had previously been unattainable.

Since then, the progress of women’s rights in China has been relentless, propelled by progressive policies, legal guarantees, and economic liberation.

The inaugural legislation enacted by the People’s Republic, the 1950 Marriage Law, dismantled antiquated marital practices such as arranged marriages and male polygamy,and established a framework for women’s rights within marriage and the family.

Gender equality was written into the first Constitution of New China in 1954, and a further amendment to the Constitution was adopted in 1978 to incorporate equal pay for equal work between men and women. Women also obtained equal rights to inheritance and property, along with many other rights.

China’s burgeoning economic prosperity, spurred by reforms initiated in the late 1970s, marked yet another leap forward for women’s liberation.

These were the formative years of my generation. We were probably the first generation of Chinese women who were liberated from the specter of hunger, were able to get a modern education, and had complete freedom in who to marry, where to go, and what to do for a living.

The unleashed potential of Chinese women, who constitute just under 49 percent of the population, has led to outstanding achievements. Women now represent over half of the student body in tertiary education and 40 percent of the employed workforce, surpassing many Western nations in terms of labor force participation.

In science and engineering, women have shattered the glass ceiling, with nearly 46 percent of the workforce in these fields being female. A milestone was further celebrated when China sent its first female astronaut into space in 2012.

Much progress has also been made in women’s political participation. In China, almost all cities and provinces have woman in leading positions, and for decades there has been a woman at the deputy prime minister level. Over half of the new recruits in government agencies are women.

The past decade has seen a concerted effort to enhance legal protections and advance human rights for women, with economic plans at all levels of government incorporating gender equality objectives. And all provinces and cities have set up mechanisms for evaluating laws and regulations for compliance with gender equality rules.

The protection of women’s rights has also been bolstered by the emergence of a vast, vibrant national network of women’s organizations led by the All-China Women’s Federation.

Yet, the struggle persists. Deep-seated cultural preferences for male children, systemic barriers, and social issues such as domestic violence and forced marriages continue to pose significant challenges for Chinese women.

Globally, the trajectory of women’s development has undergone profound transformations.

I remembered back in 1995 when the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, I was working as an intern for the UN Information Office. Although too young to have much understanding of women’s issues then, I found the whole atmosphere exhilarating, and I could feel a strong bond of sisterhood with the women delegates, with slogans such as “Women’s rights are human rights.”

Nearly 20 years on, the global environment for women has seen unprecedented changes. Conflict, pandemics, and especially the climate crisis threaten all of us more than ever. Millions of women and girls worldwide are struggling in the shadows of war and poverty.

Our world is confronted with a deficit of peace, inadequate development, rising global challenges, and dysfunctional global governance.

China’s answer to these challenges was the vision of building a community with a shared future for humankind articulated by President Xi Jinping ten years ago.

Rather than engaging in strategic competition and economic rivalry, the spirit of community means that it would be much better for countries to join hands in promoting lasting peace, security, prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, and sustainability.

Women worldwide are pivotal in catalyzing this change, promoting unity, and championing progress.

The stronger women are as individuals, the more likely we will be able to drive change. Glass ceilings can only be smashed from within. We need outstanding women to be role models and an inspiration for girls.

We must continue to facilitate legislative, policy, and socio-cultural change, so that there will be new progress for each generation.

We must continue to nurture a global partnership for women to foster a shared future and a better world.

In the past few years, China made donations twice to UN Women, each in the value of 10 million dollars. China has delivered numerous donations, technical assistance, and capacity building projects for women in other developing countries.

Our dedication to fostering international partnerships was exemplified in September 2022 when an online discussion was held between the Vice President of the All-China Women’s Federation and women’s groups in The Bahamas headed by Mrs. Ann Marie Davis, the Prime Minister’s wife. Our Embassy has also facilitated visits to China by women leaders and business talks by women entrepreneurs. These exchanges and cooperative endeavors in areas of mutual interest are just the beginning.

As the battle for gender equality rages on, the resolve of women across nations must not falter. Our concerted efforts today will determine whether our daughters and their girl children could live in a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous tomorrow.