A forum about women's issues was held in Beijing on Dec. 22 that was attended by almost 150 experts and leaders from different social organizations.
Appropriately themed "Women's Development and Family Harmony," the forum discussed new methods and approaches for women's development.
Beijing Women's Federation vice president Chen Ling expressed in her opening speech that the academic forum previously held in Beijing organized by Beijing Federation of Social Science Circles proved to be influential in maintaining social stability and development with regards to women's issues. Therefore, the present forum jointly launched by the two organizations presents an important opportunity to improve family harmony.
Chen added that the forum, aside from being an importat platform for experts to share researches and ideas, could also serve as a way to draw attention to women's issues, in both theory and practice.
Chen also said that innovation is a priority for addressing women's issues. To which, she gave credit to the ideas exchanged by the participants that lay a solid foundation for innovation.
Beijing Federation of Social Science Circles vice president, deputy secretary and secretary general Liang Lixin delivered a speech on women's efforts, particularly those supported by Beijing Women's Federation and Beijing Federation of Social Science Circles.
Discussion sessions were held after the opening speeches. A number of topics were discussed, including marriage and family life, researches on balancing work and family, shifts in family planning from one-child to two-child policy and its effect in modern Chinese women, kinds of social circumstances that help develop harmony in families, and gender equality.
Ma Yinan, a professor from the Law School of Peking University, presented an overview of gender equality and family harmony. Ma said that gender equality constitutes women's achievement in terms of economic independence and thus their ascent to higher status within and outside the household.
Using the analysis of related family laws being implemented in other countries and the advantages these laws and policies have in connection with women's issues, Ma stated that China needs to improve its own domestic laws and family policies.
Ma stated that family property needs to be shared between husband and wife under the protection of the law. Ma also expressed that "marital law needs to be improved to meet the demands of real life, while the legislative branches and judicial departments are to be responsible for overseeing the sharing of family property."
Tong Xin, another professor from Peking University, talked about balancing work and family from a Marxist perspective. Tong expressed that even the most effective and popular theories are flawed and studying these flaws can help Chinese citizens live a balanced life.
Upon the conclusion of the forum, Liu Liqun, president of China Women's University, summarized the role, image, status and power of women within and outside the family.
At the end of the forum, participants responded positively toward the ideas presented by the experts which can be divided into three topics: theories and practice in building family harmony; the state and family education; and the relationship between present social state of affairs and women's development and family harmony.