Shanghai women overtake men

Shanghai has seen a rising percentage of female students on college campuses and more than half of university graduates now are female.

"The overall educational level of local female residents has been higher with 52 percent of university graduates being female and 49.3 percent of master degree graduates women," said Jiao Yang, chairwoman of the Shanghai Women's Federation at a press conference about the city's achievements for women and children on Thursday .

By the end of 2012, about 85 percent of 56 quantitative indicators of targets for women reached their expected level, while 38 indicators of targets for children reached 83.78 percent, according to a mid-term evaluation of Shanghai's 12th Five-Year Plan of women and children.

The average expected lifespan age of local women residents was 84.67 years at the end of 2012, 0.23 years older than at the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, and 4.49 years more than the men's average age.

In addition, the employment competitiveness of females has grown gradually with more women participating in different job positions in an equal employment environment. By the end of 2012, the employment rate of female graduates was 96.35 percent, 0.83 percent higher than their male counterparts.

More measures to ensure local children have improved medical care, daily safety and suitable education will be carried out.