The provincial bureau of statistics in central China's officially released two reports on the progress of key indices in the implementation of its programs for women and children's development at a press conference on August 19.
In 2016, local governments in the province published the Hunan Program for Women's Development (2016-2020) and the Hunan Program for Children's Development (2016-2020).
These directives included 59 major objectives in seven categories concerning women's development and 52 major targets in five categories for children, respectively, in a drive to further enhance the sense of happiness and fulfillment of locals, according to officials.
The latest pair of reports show Hunan has already achieved some of its objectives and targets ahead of time and made sound progress in the protection of women and children's rights and access to health services, education and social welfare, alongside security, legal assistance and other aspects.
The following sub-topics were highlighted as key indices on women and children's affairs in the region from last year.
Women's Access to Health Services
Some 87.4 percent of urban women and 80.9 percent of rural counterparts received a regular for common diseases.
The mortality rate of local pregnant and new moms fell to 12.7 per 100,000 in 2017, with a 1.13 per 100,000 year-on-year decrease.
Further Improvement in Women's Education
Almost all local girls of relevant age completed their primary school education last year, and about 97.75 percent finished academic studies in junior middle schools.
Women accounted for 53.9 percent of undergraduate students, 50.9 percent of postgraduate students, and 58.3 percent of students studying for part-time degrees in 2017.
Decline of Birth Defect
The percentage of in Hunan has fallen for three consecutive years as of 2017. The ratio was nearly 179.96 per 10,000 last year, a 17.6 percent of decrease compared with 2015.
Meanwhile, over 99 percent of local children received vaccinations and nearly 90 percent of babies were exclusively breastfed in the first six months of their life in 2017.
Other Aspects
Statistics show that women accounted for 35.7 percent of urban employees in the province last year, a 1.1 percent year-on-year growth.
In addition, local women achieved significant progress in their political participation, social management, and in coverage for their social security and legal assistance.
Meanwhile, the adoption of the country’s universal second-child policy in January 2016 has brought about many additional challenges to the health of local women and children, and the status of females in the workplace.
Local pregnant women and new moms, especially those over 35, have faced many risks over the past several years, including susceptibility to high rates of diabetes, heart attack, miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth, according to experts.
In addition, the percentages of maternal and infant mortality and birth defects have seen a rise at the same time, which has built up huge pressure on local medical resources and staff.
Moreover, the province has faced a severe shortage of childcare centers to meet public demand.
(Source: voc.com.cn/Translated and edited by )
