A Chinese car producer introduces a new model of car designed to cater to women Wednesday at this year's International Women's Day in the financial and business hub of Shanghai in east China.

The car, called "Haixuan" or literally "fashionable", is equipped with brakes specially designed for high heels and interior decorations like a dressing-mirror and clothes-racks, which Huapu Automobile Company expects to attract the potential female customers.

This promotion tactic is no longer a surprise in China. A great variety of companies, including banks, PC makers, shopping malls and entertainment venues, are offering favorable services to take advantage of the rising purchasing power of women.

Though becoming more economically independent, Chinese women still have a long way to go before they can really "hold half of the sky".

Gender inequality can be easily seen in areas like job hunting, education and political life, said Shen Meihua, deputy director of the Women Research Institute in eastern province of Jiangsu, adding that the problem is even more serious in rural areas.

"Men still dominate the country's politics," said Shen. "Less than one fourth of the deputies in the People's Congress at various levels of government in China are women."

A Jiangsu Women Research Institute report said that due to employer bias and prejudice, finding jobs was often harder for women ranging from college graduates to laid-off workers.

"It is usually easier for men to get training opportunities and job promotions than women," said Shen.

"Despite that fact that women in China are having more say in their lives, they quite often can not decide their own fates," said Liu Bohong, a noted researcher with the All China Women Federation. "They are usually the last to get jobs and the first to lose jobs."

A growing number of working women delay giving birth to children since they fear maternity leave would result in loss of promotions or even jobs.

Women are the most common suffers of domestic violence. According to a recent report from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), nine in ten victims of domestic violence are women.

Lack of education, work and therefore economic dependence are the major reasons behind the unequal gender relationship in China, said Hu Youlan, president of the Provincial Women Federation in southwestern province of Yunnan.

"Many women now even prefer resigning from their jobs to act as full-time wives," said Hu. "Yet their choices often make their husbands irritated in the long-term."

Despite the harsh reality, more and more female college graduates, follow the deeply-rooted tradition of women relying on men, would rather marry wealthy men who have houses and cars than to earn a living on their own, even at the cost of losing gender equity, said Shen Meihua.

Things are changing and improving, yet more measures and laws are required to uproot the archaic gender divisions, ensure equal education and job opportunities, and protect all the legitimate rights of women, said Hu Youlan.

Source: Xinhua