ABSTRACT
The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in China in 1995, provided the Women’s Federation an unprecedented opportunity of development. First and foremost, there was an increase of overall resources available, and an expansion of the Federation’s organizing system. Secondly, the Federation is now in a stronger position to hold dialogues with upper-level Party committees. For a long time, the Women’s Federation has suffered from two kinds of internal conflict: one relates to its organizing system, and the other has to do with its role and positioning. The hierarchical structure of the Women’s Federation is sustained by a specific background and a specific system. In the old days, the Women’s Federation survived by organizing different events. However, the Women’s Federation has to keep a clear line between itself and feminism, because historically, it has been sceptical about feminism, and more importantly, there is a traditional blind spot in the Marxist view on women.
