Rural women who marry outside have always faced a series of difficulties. As a result of the relocation to their husbands' families, their land and other rights and interests in their mother's village are not guaranteed. At the same time, after marrying into the in-laws' family, if they do not get the land, they will not have their own contracted land and homesteads. As a result, foreign-married women often fall into the embarrassing situation of "empty at both ends", that is, although they have a rural hukou, they cannot enjoy land and other rights and interests on either side. This problem has been illustrated in some cases, such as the woman in Henan, who, despite being married, was in the village because her household registration remained with her parents, and as a result, lost the compensation to which she was entitled when the village was relocated. There are other rural women who are worse off, some because they marry into families that have no land, some who have nothing in their mother's village after divorce, and even older women who are unmarried and who are treated differently from men in their own villages. All these situations constitute violations of the legitimate rights and interests of rural women.
In order to fully protect the rights and interests of rural women, especially land rights, the relevant departments have been continuously improving the protection of rural women's rights and interests in recent years. Recently, a draft law on the organization of the rural collective economy is about to be issued and has been submitted for consideration. The bill clearly protects the legitimate rights and interests of rural collective economic organizations and their members, and gives a clear response to the much-concerned issue of the rights and interests of "foreign-married women". The draft law further clarifies that rural women enjoy the same rights and interests as men, and prohibits infringing on women's rights and interests in rural collective economic organizations on the grounds that they are unmarried, married, divorced, widowed, or have no male household. After the promulgation of the new law, the rights and interests of rural women who marry outside the country will be ensured. With regard to the determination of the membership of a village collective for a woman who marries outside, it is not simply based on whether or not she is married, but needs to be determined by comprehensively considering factors such as household registration, land contracting and management rights, and the relationship between rights and obligations. I believe that after the new regulations come into effect, the problem of "empty two ends" of rural women who marry outside will be solved, and the infringement of the rights and interests of women who marry outside will be effectively curbed.
The lack of rights and interests has a serious impact on rural women. First of all, the lack of land and homestead land puts foreign women at a disadvantage in rural economic life and is unable to earn income from land management like other villagers. Second, the lack of properly protected rights and interests makes it impossible for women to express their opinions or participate in collective decision-making, resulting in their voices being ignored. In addition, the lack of rights and interests also puts financial pressure on foreign women, many of whom are forced to rely on their husbands' families and lose their financial independence.
The promulgation of the new regulations will provide better protection for rural women who marry outside the country, change their current predicament, and achieve fairness in their rights and interests. First of all, it clearly stipulates that women who marry outside the country have the same rights and interests as men, prohibits discriminatory treatment, and protects their rights and interests from being violated. Second, the new regulations clarify the criteria for determining the identity of women who marry outside, and no longer simply rely on whether they marry or not, so as to put an end to people's unfair treatment of women who marry outside. Most importantly, the land rights and interests of foreign women will be clearly protected, and there will be no more loss of land due to marriage. These changes will enable rural women to gain more social recognition and respect, and improve their social status and quality of life.
Summary: Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of rural women who marry outside the country is very important for building a harmonious society and achieving balanced development of rural society. The introduction of the new regulations will provide better protection for foreign married women and get rid of the dilemma of "empty at both ends". At the same time, it also needs the attention and support of all levels of rural development and all sectors of society to ensure the effective implementation of the new regulations. Only when all women have equal rights can they reach their full potential and make a greater contribution to the prosperity of rural societies. We look forward to a more equitable, equal and inclusive society, where every rural woman can be respected and empowered by her family and society, and build a better future together.