China will see a record high percentage of female legislators at the two sessions this year, said an official from the All-China Women's Federation on Wednesday.
The upcoming two sessions -- the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and 13th National People's Congress -- will kick off in Beijing on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
Zhang Xiaoyuan, head of the federation's publicity department, said the percentage of female legislators and political advisors has been on a steady rise since 2012, when the Communist Party of China held its 18th national congress.
"This year, female representatives attending this year's NPC will reach 24 percent, the highest ever in history," she said, adding it signals a big step towards gender equality.
Female participation in political life was listed as one the 12 indicators of gender equality at the United Nations' World Conference on Women in 1995, she said.
In addition to the two sessions, Zhang also noted a growing female presence in the political arena at the grassroots level.
"Female grassroots officials are also younger and more adept at using computers and the internet to facilitate their job," she said, adding the federation has worked to promote women's involvement in politics in the past few years.
