Gender discrimination against women job seekers in China is rife, experts say, after woman questioned about love life in interview
- China has one of the world’s largest female workforces and strong legal protections, but gender discrimination is everywhere , experts say
- One study found more than 85 per cent of female graduates had encountered at least one form of gender discrimination while job hunting
This story about gender discrimination against job seekers is part of a series of stories on women’s issues in China and Asia to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Last week a woman revealed on Chinese social media that when applying for a human resources job with a car service company she was asked how many romantic relationships she had been in and which was the longest.
In response to the woman’s claim, the Hongqiao Car Service company in Nanchang, in Jiangxi province, said the question was relevant because the position in the human resources department required “high emotional intelligence” to maintain good relationships with clients, reported Xian Business this week.
“Most of our employees are female. We put that question in the job application form because if a person has been in love before, she must be considerate to others,” a staff member was quoted as saying.
