Boost for 'Women Economy' advocated by AmCham

The American Chamber of Commerce in China said it advocated a better framework for developing a gender-responsive policy and that corporate practices be put in place, in a bid to support effectively women's leadership and entrepreneurship going forward.

Keynote speakers urged, during the Women's Economy Summit on April 12 in Beijing, that unconscious gender bias and male advocacy be addressed in the current workplace.

"Women's talents are substantially underutilized in the corporate world," said Alan Beebe, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the organizer of the event.

AmCham believed that the "Women Economy" was representative of a new economic order. This was characterized by the full participation of women that could become a reality in the near future, if only there were significant steps taken by key stakeholders to help strive for economic equality, Beebe said.

Statistics from McKinsey indicated that the future of a strong economy lies in the hands of women and advancing women's equality could add up to $12 trillion to global growth by 2025.

Another report showed that in China women now hold 50 percent of primary or low-level posts, while a striking of 8 percent of board members are women.

Echoing the president, Mu Hong, director of liaison department of the All-China Women's Federation, urged that the nation should optimize its legal framework and policies to secure the rights of women.

She said the latest statistics from the federation showed that Chinese women entrepreneurs had risen to a quarter of total entrepreneurs, while half the startups in the internet plus business field are women.

Eyeing the great number of women entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy, woman business leader Yu Fang, vice-president of Amway, advised that Chinese women be keenly aware to seek change in their work and lives, never undervalue their capacity and courageously improve their skills when initiating their own businesses.