The Global Women's Movement and Chinese Women's Rights

Abstract

The global women's movement is an example of a successful transnational civil society movement that is a mechanism for the globalization of ideas, aided more recently by the Internet. Two UN conferences, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 in Beijing, advanced women's rights in China. The Beijing conference was a galvanizing event for the Chinese women's movement and a transformative experience for the All China Women's Federation (ACWF). The official UN meeting and NGO Forum provided opportunities for global interaction by the ACWF and NGOs working on women's rights. These connections transformed work on two issues affecting women's rights in China: the family planning program and domestic violence.