When Song Xiuyan became governor of west China's Qinghai Province in 2005, she was the only woman to be a provincial top leader in the country then. Song, who joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 1978, has taken on the challenges of the job with a great sense of purpose and is very aware of her role.

"As a Party member and the head of the province, I shoulder the trust of 5.3 million people in Qinghai. My responsibility is to manage and develop the economy of the province, seeing to it that local people live a better life," said Song Xiuyan in an interview with China Women's News. Song resigned from her governor position in 2010 and is now the vice chairwoman of the All-China Women's Federation.

Women in politics

Today Song is not alone in the list of female officials in China. Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, women's status has been greatly improved, with more and more females joining the CPC and showing up on the political stage. Sociologists believe that good education backgrounds and a more liberal political environment have opened the way for women's political participation.

According to statistics released by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, up to the end of 2009, there were 16.94 million female Party members in China, making up 21.7 percent of the total number.

Meng Xiaosi, Vice Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Women and Children under the State Council, said at the 54th UN Session of the Commission on the Status of Women that women's participation in political decision-making is more encouraged in recent years in China. At present, there are eight women among the state leaders, 230 ministerial and vice ministerial or provincial level women leaders and 670 mayors and deputy mayors of the over 600 cities of China. Women account for over 40 percent of government officials compared with less than 33 percent in 1995.

"The performance of us female officials can match, or even improve on our male peers," Liu Lichuan, a civil servant in Yanjiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, told ChinAfrica, adding that compared to males, female officials are more easygoing, more inclined to listen to their subordinates' views, and more discreet in daily work.