The employment rights of women must be improved, says an article
in China Youth Daily. The following is an excerpt:
Zhang Xiaojian, vice-minister of labor and social security, said
there would be specific legal stipulations about what kind of jobs
were not suitable for women.
It would be progress if such stipulations do appear in the new
law on employment promotion. The wellbeing of women will be
safeguarded.
However, there should also be a clause that guarantees a women's
right to employment as the new law could lead to a reduction in
jobs for them, and thereby a reduction in their social
standing.
Official statistics show the employment rate of women in 2005
was 11.4 percentage points lower than that of men. And this
difference has existed for many years in all industries.
Employers usually prefer to recruit men than women. A woman
employee could involve extra costs such as pregnancy and childcare.
It is a major reason for discrimination against women in the job
market.
Women are offered legal protection in China, but regrettably
they are not extensive enough or put into practice. Much more needs
to be done to guarantee the rights and interests of women
employees.
More legal regulations are needed that protect women against
discrimination in the workplace.
(China Daily October 15, 2007)