Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 11, 2025

The Constitutional Construction of Women’s Rights in China

(Abstract)

Ren Xirong

Since the twentieth century, China’s constitutional history has reflected the transformation of women’s status from exclusion to full recognition and from restriction to comprehensive enjoyment of rights. Women’s attainment of constitutional subjecthood, as independent legal persons, forms the institutional foundation of the modern system of women’s rights. Through provisions guaranteeing general equality, gender equality, prohibition of gender discrimination, and state protection, the Constitution has reshaped traditional gender structures and extended these guarantees across various social domains. The institutional forms of women’s rights have continued to evolve, expanding the overall framework of women’s rights. The focus of state protection of women’s rights has been continuously refined in response to changing times, increasing the realization of women’s rights. Structural gender inequalities are being progressively corrected, and women’s well-rounded development is receiving stronger support.