China
China (Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; Chinese: 中华人民共和国; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of more than 1.4 billion. China spans five geographical time zones and borders 14 different countries, the second most of any country in the world after Russia. Covering an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the world's third or fourth largest country.[i] The country consists of 23 provinces,[j] four municipalities, five autonomous regions, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing.
China emerged as one of the world's first civilizations in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. China was one of the world's foremost economic powers for most of the two millennia from the 1st until the 19th century. For millennia, China's political system was based on absolute hereditary monarchies, or dynasties, beginning with the semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE. Since then, China has expanded, fractured, and re-unified numerous times. In the 3rd century BCE, the Qin reunited core China and established the first Chinese empire.
Women's Participation in Decision-making
The Government of Azerbaijan has been actively taking measures to distribute opportunities equitably and support the equal and balanced participation of women and men in public and social life. Specific budgetary allocations have been made to ensure a steady increase in the gender mainstreaming process and that all State programmes and services are committed to ensuring gender equality at all levels and all spheres (CEDAW Report 2019).
The country is working to ensure more girls pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It pledges to introduce new legislation to help working women through, for example, measures to support flexible working and accessible childcare. Moreover, Azerbaijan is prioritizing the re-integration of refugee women into society and promoting their participation in political, economic and public life and addressing the causes of sexual violence in conflict as a central element of all discussions on the peace and security agenda (UN Women 2015). In 2015, the Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs jointly with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) promoted a manual of practical recommendations and training for women members of the municipalities to promote the participation of women in political processes and increase their representation in elections (CEDAW Report 2019).
Women’s representation in Parliament is gradually growing and the number of women candidates has increased in municipal elections. However, while women in Azerbaijan are active members of the civil service they are underrepresented at senior levels. Seats held by women in national parliaments account for 11.4 per cent in 2010, 15.6 in 2015 and 18.2 per cent in 2021 (UN Data). The gender gap is narrowing in terms of educational attainment and health, however, major shortcomings in the areas of empowerment, the extent of women’s participation in decision-making, and economic participation remain evident. In 2019, women accounted for less than one-third of the civil servants (28.6 per cent) and only 5 per cent of the heads of divisions. Overall, the share of women in positions classified as management in the civil service was 9.8 per cent. Although in a a President’s special order in 2006, it was specified that at least one of the deputy heads appointed to each district and/or city must be a woman, only one executive head of a district and/or city was a woman in 2019 (ADB 2019).