 A national Employment Promotion Law has been adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. The new law will take effect on January 1 next year.
Under the law, an employer may find itself in court if it discriminates against a job applicant on the grounds of sex, age, religion, race or physical disability. Vice Minister of Labor and Social Security Zhang Xiaojian announced a set of rules and regulations will soon be rolled out to implement the new law. They include a list of "Jobs unsuitable for females" to help make the policy more practical.
The media has welcomed the move.
A scene taken from a job market in central China's Hubei Province. [File Photo: shrlzy.com]
An article in Guangzhou Daily insists that men and women are born different. Physical characteristics dictate different roles and specialties for men and women. In a society respecting the law, equality can be achieved only when such disparity is recognized. A specific list of unsuitable jobs for women could eliminate unjustified reasons for not hiring female candidates. Thus it's conducive to protect women's labor rights.
Dazhou Daily carries an article suggesting that such a list actually helps to identify jobs suitable for women by the method of exclusion. Such a move complies with China's Constitution, that "Women in the People's Republic of China enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life; in political, economic, cultural, social and family life".
The author references a survey that shows 70 percent of female university graduates have encountered gender discrimination when applying for a job. Employers used various excuses, claiming the positions required frequent travel or night shifts.
Against such a backdrop, a detailed list of unsuitable jobs would be very useful. Employers could no longer deny competent female applicants for any jobs not on the list.
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