BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 15 million Chinese officials are women, accounting for 38.5 percent of the total, an official report said here Friday.

    The proportion of female officials above the provincial level has reached 10.3 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from 2003, according to the report, written by the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council.

    The percentages of women officials at the municipal and county level have increased to 12.9 percent and 17.2 percent, up 0.7 and 0.5 percentage points respectively, the report said.

    Observers say that Chinese women's status has improved enormously since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 as the country has issued a series of laws and regulations to safeguard gender equality.

    At the end of 2005, there were 241 women in ministerial posts, key provincial decision-making positions, or in equally important posts at state agencies.

    To promote women's political involvement, China's Election Law stipulates that the National People's Congress and local people's congresses should all have women deputies and the percentages of women deputies should be gradually increased.

    However, the report pointed out that women in rural areas are still reluctant to take part in political and administrative affairs.

    Despite the slight rise of female village officials in recent years, women currently only occupy 16.7 percent of the seats in village committees nationwide, the report said.