민주국가의 중요한 정책결정은 의회의 입법기능을 통해 이루어진다. 비록 1995년 세계여성대회개최와 이행조치, 그리고 제도개선의 영향으로 한국 등 다수국가에서는 여성들의 정치참여가 향상되기도 하였지만 중국여성대표의 수는 오히려 줄어들어 각계의 비평을 받고 있으며 정치에서의 양성평등은 시급하다. 본 연구는 의회에서의 남녀동수 구성논리에 중점을 두고 한국과 중국여성의 의회참여와 입법 활동을 연구한다. 남녀동수의석의 취지는 전체적으로 혼성인 국민을 표상하기위해서는 ‘국민의 대표’가 전체적으로 혼성이어야 한다는데 있다. 남녀동수참여는 두 방식으로 실현될 수 있는데, 그 첫 번째는 남녀동수의 당선자들을 구성하는 것이고, 두 번째는 남녀동수의 후보자를 공천하는 것이다. 본 연구는 양국여성의원들의 역대 자료통계를 분석하였으며 그 결과 다음 몇 가지를 도출하였다. 첫째, 한국과 중국여성의 의회참여의석은, 한국은 제헌국회에 200의석 중 1석으로 0.5%였으나 18대에 299 의석 중 42석을 확보하여 14.05%로 상승하였다. 이는 한국여성들은 법규개정을 위해 다양한 투쟁을 전개하여 ‘여성할당제’를 도입해내었으며, 중국은 공산당 중심의 일원제하에서 초대에 12%의 여성의석수를 확보하였고 점차 향상되어 제4대(1975년)에서는 22.6%까지 상승하였으나 최근에는 오히려 21.33%로써 과거보다 여성의석수가 감소하여 학계와 여성의원들의 비평이 높았다. 둘째, 양국여성의원들의 입법 활동을 고찰한 결과, 한국 국회여성의원들의 발의 내용은 영육아 및 아동, 여성권익향상, 사회복지 순으로 관심을 표출하고 있었다. 중국 여성인대대표의 의안발의는 사회분야, 교육, 사회복지, 선거대표권확대, 부녀권익 등의 활동을 한 것을 알 수 있다. 특히 중국여성의원들이 여성의석수 확보를 위해 의회에서 의안발의를 통해 강력히 촉구하고 마침내 강택민 중국정부의 최고책임자의 “22% 여성의석수 결정(名額化決定)” 획득한 것은 중국 여성의원들의 우수한 입법 활동으로 높이 평가할 수 있다. 끝으로, 한국 국회와 중국 전인대에 여성의원의 참여를 높이기위해서는 남녀동수 의석수제도를 과감히 도입해 볼 필요가 있다. 또한 다양한 교육훈련으로 여성정치 지도자를 양성함으로서, 더 많은 후보자와 당선자를 배출할 수 있을 것이다.
The legislative process is essential for important policy making in democratic countries. Starting with the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, although it was agreed to increase the participation of women in politics in many countries, including Korea, through the adoption of goals for implementation and reform of systems for the promotion of women, the number of women representatives from China in fact decreased and there has been much effort to evaluate the situation in all sectors. In the political realm, the most pressing need is for equal representation of men and women in the legislature. This research is concerned primarily with the structural debate concerning the equal representation of men and women in the legislature, making a comparative study of the participation of women in the legislature and in the legislative process that looks at the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China. Scholars have long argued for the need for a complete representation of both sexes in the legislature so as to assure that the legislative process and laws properly represent the people. This goal must be achieved through real parity in the number of men and women serving as representatives in the legislature. There are two ways to achieve true equal representation of men and womn in the legislature. The first way is to create an environment in which there is an equal representation of men and women among those elected. Or, alternatively, to make sure that the candidates for office represent a proper equity of number between men and women. In this study I have conducted an analysis of materials and statistics from five consecutive periods in politics concerning women legislatures in the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. The results of the research are as follows. First, regarding the number of women elected to the National Assembly in the Republic of Korea and the National People's Congress in the People's Republic of China, we note that when the Republic of Korea was founded, out of 200 seats one woman was elected. In effect women accounted for 0.5% of total number of seats. At the 18th assembly (2008), 42 of the total of 299 seats were held by women. That makes for an increase of 14.05% of the total number of seats. This increase was a result of women in the National Assembly working tirelessly to promote legal reform over the years, including the implementation of a quote system for women representatives. In the Chinese case, when the Chinese Communist Party held the first assembly of the National People's Congress in 1954, 12% of the representatives were women. That number continued to increase until it reached 22.6% at the 4th congress in 1975. However, the percent of women in the National People's Congress has gone down, however, in recent years, reaching a current figure of 21.35%. As a result, there have been recent calls from experts for improvement. When we consider the specific legislative activities that women legislators are involved in at present in the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China, we find that Korean women legislators have proposed and passed primarily laws concerning childcare, children, increasing women's status and social welfare whereas Chinese women legislators have proposed and passed laws related to social welfare, education, social and environmental issues and increasing the political representation of women. In the Chinese case, women legislators have made strong demands for an increase in representative seats for women in the legislature and throughout the government. Eventually General Secretary Jiang Zemin declared that the number of women representatives in the National People's Congress should not be allowed to fall below 22%. We should see in a very positive light the achievements of Chinese women legislators based on this remarkable achievement. In conclusion, the legislatures of both countries should continue to increase in number, approaching a ration closer to 50/50 in order to accurately represent women's perspectives on politics and society. Increasing the number of women in elected office can have a transformative impact on the nation and increase the democratic nature of legislation.