Gender Quotas Database
China
Eastern Asia
Single / Lower House
Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui / National People's Congress
| Total seats | 2,977 |
| Total women | 790 |
| Percentage of women | 27% |
| Gender Quota target | 22% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | No direct elections |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
Delegates to the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at all levels should be broadly representative and should have an appropriate number of grassroots representatives, especially representatives of workers, farmers and intellectuals; there should be an appropriate number of women representatives, and Gradually increase the proportion of women representatives. … (Article 7, Electoral Law) In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Election Law of the People's Republic of China to the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses at All Levels, the Fifth Session of the Tenth National People's Congress on the Eleventh National People's Congress The number of representatives and election issues will be determined as follows: … 8. Among the deputies to the 11th National People's Congress, the proportion of women representatives shall not be less than 22%. (Quota Law) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The National People’s Congress (NPC) is elected through a multi-tier system of representation. Deputies (delegates) to the NPC are elected by provincial people’s assemblies, who themselves are elected by lower-level assemblies, all the way down to the lowest level people’s assemblies, which are directly elected by constituents.
Electoral colleges are comprised within 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the control of the central government and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Article 7 of the Electoral Law of the NPC and the Local People's Congresses stipulates that ‘among deputies to the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at various levels, there shall be an appropriate number of women deputies, and the proportion thereof shall be raised gradually’.
In addition, Article 11 of the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women states that ‘Among deputies to the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at various levels, there shall be an appropriate number of women deputies, the state will take measures, gradually raise the proportion of women's deputies.’
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of China - Link
- Electoral Law - Link
- Decision of the Fifth Session of the Tenth National People's Congress on the quota and election of deputies to the Eleventh National People's Congress - Link
- PRC Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of China - Link
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on China on iKNOW Politics
- Wang, Q. (2015). In Tailwind, in Headwind: Gender Quotas in China. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 22(3), 387–407. doi:10.1177/0971521515594277
- Xiajuan, G. & Lijun, Y. (2016). Changing State-Society Relations in Contemporary China, pp. 249-265 Chapter 12: "Women's Political Participation in China".
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