Chinese women jobseekers told to use hotline to report gender discrimination
- Authorities in eastern city publish reminder of 12338 service ahead of upcoming recruitment season
- Employers ‘should not refuse to hire women or raise the job standards or requirements for women’, it says
With the recruitment season about to get into full swing in an east China city, women jobseekers have been reminded of a national hotline for reporting gender discrimination.
Authorities in Dezhou, Shandong province, issued a statement ahead of a slew of jobs fairs planned for the city over the Lunar New Year holiday, China Women’s News, the official newspaper of the All-China Women’s Federation reported on Monday.
Jobseekers who come across discrimination in recruitment or promotional materials should call the Women’s Rights Protection hotline on 12338, according to the statement, which was issued jointly by the local branch of the federation and the city’s social security bureau.
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The number can also be used to report sexism in the workplace, the report said, adding that local women can contact the city’s labour security supervision team if they have a complaint or grievance.
“Creating a fair jobseeking environment and eliminating gender discrimination in recruitment not only establishes harmonious working relationships but also promotes gender equality,” the statement said.
“When recruiting, employers should not refuse to hire women or raise the job standards or requirements for women ... except for jobs specified as not suitable for women according to national law.”
Employers “must create awareness of gender equality, and build a good environment for fair employment”, it said.
While the statement stopped short of mentioning sexual harassment at work – a hot-button issue in China since the spread of the #MeToo movement – it said companies had no right to restrict the rights of its female employees to marry or have children.
China’s law on the protection of women’s rights bans firms from including clauses in employment contracts that “restrict marriage and childbearing”.
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A report published last year by Human Rights Watch said gender discrimination in the workplace was rampant in China, citing a widening gender pay gap and recruitment advertisements that frequently stated a preference for male over female candidates.
The study accused several tech companies of running job adverts that not only stated that certain positions were open only to men but also contained sexist remarks about how attractive their would-be female colleagues were, presumably intended as an incentive to apply.
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Discrimination was also rife in the public sector, the report said, with about 19 per cent of all civil service job ads published in 2018 effectively stating that women need not apply.
Industry watchers have said Chinese employers are often wary of recruiting women of childbearing age because of the risk of having to cover statutory maternity leave payments. Women in China entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave.
