Proposals on women's welfare and interests made up only 1.4 percent of all NPC deputies' proposals in 2011, according to Sun's research, although the number had been slowly rising over the previous three years.

"China should strive to improve gender equality, because if you put too much emphasis on development but ignore gender difference, women will continue facing unfair treatment in many fields," Sun said.

Hu Wei, a 49-year-old resident of Beijing, said that he supported the suggestion.

"Women account for nearly 50 percent of our total population. We definitely need more women representatives in the NPC to give a greater voice to women," he said.

Li Xiaolin, chief executive officer of China Power International Development and member of the CPPCC National Committee, said women should be empowered in all fields, including business and social services.

"You very rarely see female senior executives in the major companies, and in hospitals, there are many female nurses and doctors, but the chiefs are usually men," Li said.

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