The Sixth Session was attended by the following non-permanents: Brazil, Burma, Byelorussian SSR, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Iran, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Poland. The representative of Mexico was prevented by illness from attending the session. The Sixth Session of the Commission began with its 101st meeting in the United Nations Palace in Geneva on Monday, March 24, 1952. The representative of USSR immediately moved, on a point of order, that "the Kuomintang representative be excluded from the membership of the Commission and that a representative of the Central People's Government of the Republic of China be invited to take her place". But by a vote of 12 for, 3 against and 2 abstentions, the Commission decided not to consider the motion. The Soviet Russian attempt to oust China from UN meetings at various levels had been made for more than 90 times and it behooves us to be alert and careful in all subsequent meetings. A single failure in one of the minor meetings on our part would spell a major diplomatic victory for the Soviet bloc.
The Russian charges were met and refuted on a threefold argument. Firstly, on a point of procedure, I was able to show that the Commission was not competent to question the acceptance by UNO of representatives designated by Member States. Moreover, my right to participate in the Commission was safeguarded by Rule 12 of the Rules of Procedure which I quoted in full. Secondly, the withdrawal of recognition of my Government by the Russian Government was a violation of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship and Alliance (1945). The Russian Embassy was the only one which followed my government to Canton in order to extract the last advantage from the Treaty. It was indefensible from whatever angle of approach for Soviet Russia to claim and retain all the rights under it while repudiating the obligations. Finally, it was erroneous to refer to me as "the Kuomintang representative," honorable though the appellation was, for I was member of no political party at all. The distinguished representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a member of the Labour Party designated to the Commission by a Conservative Government. I was no more a Kuomintang representative than Miss Sutherland was the representative of the Conservative Party. Each of us represented our respective government and nation.
The debate lasted more than an hour. Britain and Pakistan which usually abstained on similar occasions elsewhere voted in support of the Chairman's ruling not to consider the Soviet motion. Burma and Lebanon abstained instead of voting against, as had been their practice. It would be unreasonable to expect me not to feel elated at the success of my delegation at its first hurdle. But it must be pointed out that the change in voting policy of these four delegations had little to do with considerations of personnel. It reflected rather the growing awareness of the magnitude of their blunder in recognizing the Pretender Regime on Mainland China and it amounted to a tribute to the good work achieved by Free China within the last few years. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman, Madame Marie-Helene Lefaucheux (France) for her patience, justice and fairness in handling the debate and voting. As to those who consistently defended our claim to membership in this Commission and elsewhere I can only reassure them that the time is not distant when they will see their faith in Free China justified.
The Session lasted all but a fortnight, commencing on the 24th of March and concluding on the 5th of April. It sat in twenty-two meetings and transacted a vast amount of business. Only some highlights can be touched upon here. The items on the agenda, excluding those of purely procedural significance, may be considered under three categories:
(a) Political Rights of Women,
(b) Legal Status of Women, and
(c) Economic and Educational Equality for Men and Women.
The Commission had before it an astonishing mass of printed matter furnished by the Secretary-General, the Member States, and interested organizations authorized to attend the Session without voting power. Each item was usually introduced by a comprehensive report prepared by the Secretary-General. Recommendations for action by the Economic and Social Council were reached in most items while more information was called for in others.
- Political Rights of Women
The items under the category Political Rights of Women occasioned much Soviet propaganda against the Free World. The verbal bombardment was at its fiercest when the Commission discussed the status of women under alien rule. The aim to stir up hatred in Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories was thinly disguised as championship for human rights on behalf of backward races and nationalities. Soviet charges against alleged betrayal of trust by mandatory powers in respect to such territories were invariably accompanied by quotations from books and magazines, etc., by writers who criticized their own government's colonial policy, Britons against the British, Frenchmen against the French, as the case might be. The political serfdom of men and women alike on the Mainland of China provided ample munition for demolition of the Soviet position. It gives me satisfaction to state that the Soviet Delegation was obliged to admit tacitly the accuracy of my description of political tyranny of which I had personal experience and first-hand information. Everyone from kindergarten upwards was compulsorily subjected, as I reminded the Soviet representative, to intense indoctrination to which no exception might be taken. Anyone suspected of independent political opinion was either liquidated or at least put in prison. I was not defending the imperialist powers but merely counter-balancing Soviet propaganda with undeniable truths about Red Tyranny as worked out on the Chinese mainland.
The Commission invited the Secretary-General to prepare for the next Session a report on how women actually participated in political and public life, the number of women in elective state bodies, local government bodies, and so forth. It adopted a draft Convention which, if acted on by the UNO, would invite member governments to sign a Convention undertaking to ensure that women, on equal terms with men, shall be:
(i) entitled to vote in all elections, national or local, established by law;
(ii) eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies, national or local, established by law; and
(iii) entitled to hold public office and to exercise all public functions established by law.
The importance attached to the Convention may be gauged by the fact that the Commission devoted no less than six meetings to it. The resolution recommending the draft to the Economic and Social Council was adopted by vote, 13 for, none against and 3 abstentions. Incidentally, it may be remarked that none of the amendments introduced by Soviet Russia was adopted.
The Convention if actualized would affect China but little. Our Constitution as adopted in Nanking in 1948 was one of the most up-to-date. It conferred equal rights on men and women. In fact, it went further than that. It provided certain quotas reserved for women. For example, while all the seats in the National Assembly which were open to men were open equally to women on a basis of free election, there were a limited number reserved for representatives elected by women's organizations only. My report on this situation won admiration from all including the Soviet constellation. That our Constitution was not all paper was proved by statistics in Free China. The percentage of our women in public life continued on the increase. By way of contrast, readers will be interested to know that Swiss women had been offered the right of franchise but rejected it of their own free will. And the Swiss women are among the most enlightened and capable in the world.
When the smoke of propaganda crossfire cleared up, the Commission was able to settle down to tackle with objective approach the problem of the Status of Women in Trust and Non-Self-Governing territories. There was crying need for remedy. The Commission urged that the UNO take immediate steps to call upon Member Governments to abolish all customs violating the security and dignity of persons as proclaimed in the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- The Legal Status of Women
The legal status of women under public and private laws were considered separately. Once more, our women compare favourably with our sisters elsewhere in these respects. Chinese Public and Private Laws make no distinction on basis of sex. All are equal before the law. It was my privilege again to publish the truth I found in Free China and the Mainland.
The need of international action was forcibly brought home in connection with problems of the nationality of married women. According to information supplied by Member Governments, considerable confusion existed in their laws regulating marriage with aliens. A woman of nation X married to a man of nation Y might find herself claimed by both or neither of the Governments as their national. The case varied from nation to nation. Further complications might be introduced by divorce or widowhood. The principle of free choice was advocated by the Commission at its Fourth Session. The present Session reviewed the progress made up-to-date. Chinese tradition never discriminated against "mixed marriage." But social bias against it was strong in many nations.
Reports before the Commission indicated widespread discrimination against women in public law. This item was narrowed down to deal with women in public services and functions. In the course of discussion the Chairman pointed out that the documentation presented by the Secretariat was among the most useful the Commission had received. I endorse this tribute completely. In fact, the Secretariat should be complimented on the unfailing excellence of its presentation of information. All facts were carefully marshalled and analysed, and reported with clearness and precision. Nevertheless, I had occasion to supplement in the present instance the information given, which as it stood, gave the impression that there were few or no women in the Chinese civil service. The USA reported in foreign service alone 1 leading service officer, 21 service reserve officers and 810 service staff officers. Needless to say, Soviet Russia took advantage of the opportunity to criticize the returns from Western nations and exalt Soviet achievements. I was anxious that China should not be misrepresented by default. The Commission requested the Secretary-General to prepare a simplified non-technical report for its next Session.
The status of women in private law was discussed with animation since it touched upon the vital question of women's property rights. Discrimination against women in general and married women and widows in particular was prevalent. Here again, the nations with newer constitutions were usually more liberal in their attitude to women. In actual practice, however, much of their legal provisions remained paper promises. The ability of women to avail themselves of their constitutional rights clearly depended on their education and public experience. The Commission felt that the information before it was insufficient for its purpose and decided to postpone decision until the Seventh Session when the Status of Women in Private Law should be given first priority. The Secretary-General was requested to furnish a complete report on family law and a comparative analysis of the information available, as well as similar documentation concerning property rights of women.
- Economic and Educational Equality for Men and Women
Women's educational opportunities were studied under two sub-headings:
(i) Study on the progress report prepared by UNESCO, and
(ii) Study of the report by ILO on vocational guidance and vocational and educational training of women.
The Commission appreciated the positive policy of these Specialized Agencies in conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and noted with satisfaction their especial attention to women's opportunity. In their various programs, especially those of education, social sciences, and vocational training and guidance, methods were developed which tended to promote better application of the Declaration. Further information was called for in respect of obstacles to free access of women and girls to educational opportunities. In Free China, the percentage of children in school of all those of school age rose steadily from 78.56% in 1947 to 80.00% in 1950, with boys and girls proportioned in the ratio of about 11:7. At the other end of the scale, namely, higher education, out of a total population of, in round figures, 7.6 million, there were in 1951 nearly 4,000 students attending class, of whom 6.8% were women. (These figures did not include military cadets). We compared favourably with most. No vocation was closed to women, neither was there any quota restriction; and their educational opportunities were provided accordingly.
Women's economic opportunity was also considered under sub-headings, such as, Women in the Professions, Part Time Work for Women, and Older Women Workers. These items mostly did not materially affect China. In some countries, especially in Europe, there obtained a paradoxical situation in the co-existence of unemployment alongside shutting out of labour. For example, Britain had urgent need of increasing her mining output. At the same time there was a movement to discharge Italian labour already working in the mines. Part-time women worker might be a solution. The plentifulness of labour in Asia would render part-time women workers and older women workers unattractive.
The item Equal Pay for Equal Work occupied four meetings. In most nations where the feminist movement made early headway women often fought for their right to serve rather than adequate remuneration. Thus in England women teachers were even now paid about 1/5th less than men for equal work. The employer's psychology had also to be taken into account, who would naturally employ a man in preference to a woman when influenced by loss of efficiency, if not work, during certain periods in the normal life of a woman. The Commission commended the efforts made by ILO in this connection and urged Member Governments to adopt and implement the Principle of Equal Pay for Equal Work for Men and Women as advocated by it. Complete equality was the rule in China, especially in Government service, and in the medical, legal and educational professions. In Formosa women domestic servants were at a premium and drew from 30-50% more pay. The dissemination of this kind of information did not a little to enhance the prestige of Free China.
That the keystone to equality was education was demonstrated in the situation of women workers in the United Nations Organization and its subsidiary bodies. No woman worker had so far attained really high rank. It was not the result of deliberate exclusion but free competition. The Commission noted with disappointment that "very few women, even fewer than last year, occupy policy-making posts in the Secretariat of the United Nations and that few women occupy such posts in the specialized agencies." It also requested more information from the Secretary-General. (By "education" I do not mean academic education alone. I am using the word in a larger sense to include all that training and preparation which a public or professional woman acquires in her career, and all that development of personality, judgment and wisdom which have their nurture in culture and religion. I did not enlarge on this in the meetings but I have no doubt that this is a point of utmost importance to all women in Free China.)
Taking the Session as a whole, we have to admit that much progress has been made by women all over the world despite almost insurmountable difficulties, cultural, religious, political, legal, traditional, and, last but not least, economic and practical. The UN and therefore the Commission may justly take some pride in their success in providing data and coordinating efforts on a worldwide scale. Despite Soviet propaganda and invectives the atmosphere in the Commission tended to inspire greater confidence and hope. The tendency to describe United Nations as "Disunited Nations" when one reads reports of the proceedings in the UN General Assembly or the Security Council will, I hope, be partially dispelled by a perusal of this article. The women of the world are pulling together better than the men.
Evidence of the serious interest taken in the Commission was shown in the number of participants other than the statutory Member Government delegations. Specialized agencies of the UNO, namely, ILO, UNESCO and WHO were represented. Twenty-nine Non-Governmental Organizations sent observers or experts. Australia and Greece had observers. All these participants were of course without voting power. Among the Non-Governmental Organizations were many little known in China, for example, International Abolitionist Federation; International Alliance of Women - Equal Rights, Equal Responsibilities; and International League for the Rights of Man. Those of narrower application included such as All-India Women's Conference, Pax Romana, and World Union for Progressive Judaism. There were two trade union organizations, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and World Federation of Trade Unions. The World YWCA was represented but not the YM. There was an organization called Open Door International. But Iron Curtain international (if there were one) was conspicuous by its absence. The name World Federation of UN Associations is familiar to us in Free China.
The Chairman, Madame Lefaucheux (France), conducted the meeting with superb skill and impartiality. As a person she is clear-headed, courteous and sympathetic, but firm and tactful. She is well-bred and well-read. The First Vice-Chairman, Mrs. Ana Figueroa (Chile), is highly intellectual and refined. She had all the rules and bye-laws and red tapes at her finger's end. She expedited a great deal the deliberations in the Session by acting as its living index of references. In fact, I was struck by the high quality not only of the Chilean Delegation but of all those from both Americas. These are remarkable women considered from whatever angle. Likewise, those from Near and Middle East gave me an excellent impression. The Soviet delegations proved themselves hostile to the rest and obnoxious to mine. Nevertheless, they were efficient and capable. The amount of preparation that must have gone behind them was simply stupendous. They missed no opportunity to show off by leaflets and books, diagrams and charts, lectures and moving-pictures the achievements in Soviet Russia and her satellite countries. I owed much guidance and help to the USA delegation under Miss Olive Remington Goldman, without whom my mission might have turned out a failure. I cannot leave unsaid the personal friendship shown me by Miss Sutherland (UK) in spite of Britain's official attitude in respect to China. I need hardly add that my relations with the other non-Soviet-dominated delegations have been most cordial.
Switzerland was not a member of the Commission. She recognized Mao's regime. But my passport was accepted by the Swiss authorities like any other. The Swiss people were most sympathetic and many of them wished us speedy recovery of the Mainland. I take opportunity here to thank them as the host country and as true friends of China. The kind assistance I received from my countrymen in France and Switzerland and all along the route to and from Geneva cannot be touched upon in this article. Suffice it to say that their moral support meant real encouragement. The delegations without exception were proud of the efficient and courteous staff of UN in Europe. Simultaneous translation was wonderfully accurate and quick. Difficulty of language never bothered any delegate barring that of her own fault. The Sixth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women was one of the most enjoyable international conferences I ever attended.