UN Women and the European Union have introduced a collaborative four-year programme named Women in Motion 2.0. The scheme aims to improve the economic empowerment of female workers and encourage inclusive workplace policies across China. Financial backing from the European Union will fund training access, lifelong education opportunities and labour rights awareness. The programme places a specific focus on young women and female workers living with disabilities.
Organisers will support businesses to introduce family-friendly regulations and eliminate systemic discrimination. The project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the People’s Republic of China 2026-2030. It supports existing national targets such as the employment-first policy and regulations outlined in the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests. Currently, female employees make up over 43 per cent of the total workforce in China.
Initial research across more than 60 companies in Shaanxi and Jiangsu provinces highlights the challenges the initiative will address. Over two-thirds of the studied businesses offer industry training to female staff, and basic family leave is widely available. However, corporate progress remains uneven. Many firms lack clear rules banning gender bias during promotions, and anti-sexual harassment policies remain mostly reactive. A separate survey of 3,000 workers showed that employees want transparent pay structures, flexible working hours and development in technology fields like AI.
UN Women will deliver the strategy alongside the China Enterprise Confederation, the International Labour Organisation, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Inno Community Development Organisation. Caixin Video will serve as a media partner. The expansion follows the first phase of the programme between 2023 and 2025. That initial phase supported 63 companies across the automotive, textile and ICT sectors, reaching roughly 200,000 staff members and giving training to 11,886 women.
Chu Q. Wang, Head of Office (ad interim) of UN Women China Office, said: “As AI and digital transformation reshape China’s workplaces, we must ensure these shifts open doors for women, particularly women with disabilities, rather than create new barriers. Only through multi-stakeholder partnerships can we drive sustainable and systemic change for women in the world of work.”
H.E. Mr. Jorge Toledo, Ambassador of the European Union to China, said: “The first phase of this initiative has been very successful, bringing tangible improvements to the lives of countless women workers, and fostering changes in enterprises to create an environment where female workers are empowered, skilled, and increasingly successful in their career journeys. This next chapter will expand our reach to vulnerable groups of women, addressing new challenges in new regions and industries, with renewed energy and vision.”
