After a Western journalist who attended the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012 concluded, "No one really knows how the leaders of the Communist Party view women and their role in the country," the Central Committee of the CPC recently printed an indicative report.
Titled "Opinion on Strengthening and Improving the Work of Mass Organizations of the CPC," the document praises the nation's numerous women's federations, in addition to other "mass organizations," for helping to build a "well-off society."
Trade unions and the Communist Youth League are identified as other types of mass organizations that "serve the regular and fundamental work of the CPC in governing the country," and the committee has urged these bodies to continue their work in the face of "new, ever-changing conditions."
In addition to imploring women's federations to ensure their work is ongoing, the report wants such organizations to be further developed, and includes innovations and online capacity-building as priority areas.
Representatives from different federations have responded amenably to the committee report, with Su Pei, president of the women's federation in Guangzhou, outlining four major items for completion: the careful review of the document in the interest of urgent political education; public dissemination of the committee's report through different channels; the design of a plan to undertake the guidance; and enacting processes to ensure that innovation occurs in the promotional activities for women's affairs.
The president of the women's federation in east China's Jiangsu Province, Liao Zhihong, said that the document allows the federations to continue their work with the support of more resources.
Meanwhile, the president of the women's federation in Tianjin Municipality stated that China needs a plan to reflect the present-day conditions for Chinese women, which will connect women with their local governments.