Beijing Women's Federation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
北京市妇女联合会 | |
| Abbreviation | BWF |
|---|---|
| Formation | November 1949 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | Building 7, No. 56 Yard, East Canal Street, Tongzhou District, Beijing |
President | Zhang Yajun |
Parent organization | All-China Women's Federation |
The Beijing Women's Federation (BWF; Chinese: 北京市妇女联合会; pinyin: Běijīng shì fùnǚ liánhé huì) is a mass organization for women in Beijing, China. Established in November 1949, it is a local branch of the All-China Women's Federation and functions as a non-profit organization under the guidance of the Beijing Women's Congress, its highest decision-making body. The federation represents and safeguards women's rights and interests, promotes gender equality, and maintains a four-tier organizational structure covering districts, subdistricts, towns, and communities.
The federation began in February 1949, with the formation of the Preparatory Committee of the Beijing Democratic Women's Federation, which was led by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The inaugural Beijing Women's Congress met in November 1949 to officially establish the Beijing Democratic Women's Federation, which was later renamed the Beijing Women's Federation in 1957.[1]
In the early years of the People's Republic of China, the federation encouraged women to take part in political movements, land reform, and the "Resist America, Aid Korea" campaign. It formed the "Beijing Women's Committee for Resisting America and Defending the Homeland," held patriotic parades with 50,000 women, and started fundraising to contribute the "Beijing Women's Aircraft."[2] It also supported literacy efforts and educational activities, as well as lobbying for the abolition of prostitution in Beijing in 1949.[3]
During the Cultural Revolution, the organisation suffered major disruptions, and women's work languished. Although reconstituted in 1973, it did not recover momentum until 1978, when policy revisions occurred following the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee. Since then, the federation has prioritised economic development, women's participation in modernisation, and legal safeguards for women's and children's rights.[4]
