Gender Equality

In the last three decades, as China has undergone rapid economic growth and development, the standard of living of Chinese girls and women has improved significantly. But serious gaps remain in the treatment and prospects of boys and girls. The traditional attitude that “boys are more valuable than girls” is still widespread and continues to have an adverse impact on the survival and development of girls.

One manifestation of this attitude can be seen in China’s sex ratio at birth. In China in 1982, 108 boys were born for every 100 girls. However, today about 118 boys are born for every 100 girls.

Some families are choosing boys and, after children are born, many families also treat boys differently from girls. Families often have lower expectations of girls, compared to boys. Girls consequently receive fewer family resources, a situation that prevents them from reaching their full potential.

Girls may also lack social support and protection against certain risks to which they are more vulnerable than boys, like sexual exploitation and trafficking. They may also be unable to access to adequate services for maternal-child health, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and other medical care specific to girls and women.

While abundant indirect and anecdotal evidence of discrimination against girls and women exists because of the absence of relevant data. Better data are needed to help develop solutions to the problems girls are facing today.

Promoting gender equality

UNICEF has been partnering with the All China Women’s Federation and its network of grassroots-level women’s groups for more than thirty years. Promoting gender equality in policy and practice has been central to our joint work.

All aspects of our China country programming include gender equality components. In our programmes on health and nutrition, HIV/AIDS, education and child development, water and sanitation, child protection, social policy, as well as in our advocacy and communications, ensuring the integration of gendered perspectives is a priority. Here are some examples:

• In our Water and Sanitation programme, we design sanitation facilities that incorporate privacy and safety considerations so that girls and women feel comfortable using them. We also encourage women’s participation on water supply and sanitation committees.
• In our Health and Nutrition programme, we have supported China to achieve significant reduction in maternal mortality. In the years ahead our maternal and child health programme will increasingly focus on improving the health and nutritional status of adolescent girls and young women.
• In our Social Policy programme, we advocate for collection an analysis of sex-disaggregated data to support evidenced-based policies to promote gender equality.
• In our Child Protection programme, we work to protect both girls and boys from trafficking, and especially girls from sexual exploitation.
• In every emergency response, we integrate gender-specific needs and perspectives into, and encourage participation from women and girls in, all aspects of the relief and reconstruction work we do, such as supplying gender-appropriate relief supplies and services.
   

Our past work includes a Girls Initiative Project that raised awareness about gender discrimination, including through family education seminars and culturally-sensitive communication, such as performances by local opera and drama troupes. The local governments in pilot areas issued policies to address the discrimination against girls. These efforts lead to improved situation for girls in the region.

You can help promote gender equality. Take action by valuing girls equally and encouraging them to achieve success in any field they choose. Or find out how you can support UNICEF’s work today.