Hong Kong (CNN) -- A record number of American women will hold U.S. Senate seats after Tuesday's election. In China, there is speculation over whether a woman will also make history by ascending to its top political core. No woman has ever held a post in the elite nine-member Standing Committee of the Politburo that governs China. Thousands of senior Chinese officials gathered in Beijing this week and at the end of the conference next week, a new set of leaders will be unveiled. Some observers consider Liu Yandong a possible contender for the exclusive ruling committee. Liu is the lone female member of the Politburo, a 24-member body atop the Chinese Communist Party. If promoted to the standing committee, Liu would make a crack in the political glass ceiling.
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No woman has been tapped to the 9-member standing committee to govern China
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Liu Yandong is a possible contender for the exclusive standing committee.
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Some are skeptical of the overall progress for Chinese women in power
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@placeholder women receive an average of 8.8 years of education compared with 2.7 years in 2000, according to the national survey.
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And the recent survey results suggest that more people believe that @placeholder women should focus on family, rather than getting involved in public life or careers.