Chinese women's political status raised

BEIJING - The political status of Chinese women saw a steady rise last year, according to a report released by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) on Thursday.

The increased political standing was best reflected by the number of female delegates to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in November, the report said, adding that women accounted for 23 percent of the congress's 2,270 delegates, a 2.9-percent rise from 2007, the year the congress was last held.

The report also cited increasing numbers of women in local legislatures and political advisory bodies.

The ACWF vowed in the report to ensure that female county-level officials can retire at the same age as their male counterparts.

Male officials may retire at the age of 60 in China, while female officials retire at 55.