"Women hold up half the sky." A famous quote from Mao Zedong, and today it's truer than ever.

Cai Ling, member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said, "This is my third term as a CPPCC member. Women members are increasing every term and there're more professionals from different backgrounds."

Over the last few terms, we've seen a trend of more and more female deputies and members at sessions of National People's Congress (NPC) and CPPCC. It's a positive sign that confirms women's rising social status, but with female representation at 23 percent in the NPC and 18 percent for the CPPCC, there's still much room for improvement.

Li Renzhen, CPPCC member, said, "One of my proposals this time is on left-behind wives in rural areas. Our society has overlooked their problems, but with their husbands working away, these women's physical safety, marriage quality, and mental health should all be of social concern."

Of China's some 87 million left-behind population in rural areas, more than half are women. Their husbands hardly come home throughout the year, and the responsibilities of looking after the elderly and children, and even farming all fall on their shoulders. But now with a growing female presence in politics, these issues are more likely to be discussed and resolved.

(CNTV.cn March 8, 2013)