A growing number of female deputies are participating in the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, which is a sign of progress in gender equality.

Local people's congresses have also been promoting and enhancing women's roles in political as well as economic fields, said Lin Yinmao, deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee of Shanghai People's Congress, also a NPC deputy.

The proportion of women in the Shanghai legislative body reached 31.7 percent this year, higher than the 30 percent of women's political participation promoted by the United Nations, Lin said at a news conference for the second session of the 12th National People's Congress.

China, with a vast territory and unbalanced development nationwide, is gradually boosting gender equality in the political as well as economic sphere, said Li Yalan, a NPC deputy from Heilongjiang province.

"Of the 16 NPC deputies from the Heilongjiang province this year, six are female," she said.

Luo Ning, a female deputy to the NPC from Guizhou province, added that the proportion of female leaders in rural areas has also increased in recent years.