Chapter 12. Employment Equality Section 2. Social Structure The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 1

Outline Introduction State of employment equality Gender equality Age equality Appearance equality Road ahead The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 2

Introduction The firm’s logic of finding the best employee Several comments – Biases appear to be customer driven. – Confusion among executives about what constitutes employment equality – Government must play a role in ensuring employment equality The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 3

State of employment equality Major national laws ensuring employment equality in China. – “Workers should not be subject to discrimination because of their ethnic backgrounds, races, gender, religious beliefs, etc.” - Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promotion of Employment – The elements of “birthplace, industry, social status, and gender” were included into Decisions made during the 3 rd Plenary Session of 18 th CPC Central Committee The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 4

State of employment equality Favorable treatment of minority ethnic groups – Article 28 of the Law on Promotion of Employment – The quota system and the point system in universities and government agencies – Exemption from the rigid one-child policy The treatment of disabled citizens The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 5

State of employment equality Three areas in which employment equality has yet to be fully realized. Gender equality(codified in Chinese law, but not implemented sufficiently) Age equality (not codified in Chinese law, but relevant laws exist in other countries) Appearance equality(not codified in Chinese law, or in other countries) The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 6

State of employment equality The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 7 A hiring advertisement outside a chain restaurant in Shanghai, 2012, with relevant criteria translated below. Store Manager: younger than 35 years. Assistant Manager: younger than 35 years. Shift Supervisor: years, healthy, appearance must be presentable, male taller than 170 cm, female taller than 150 cm. Server: years, male taller than 170 cm, female taller than 150 cm.

Gender equality Article 27 in Law on Promotion of Employment Females have experienced many forms of employment discrimination. E.g., An online survey – More than 90% believed they or their friends had suffered gender discrimination in the job market – Reasons: “having a child” (43.3%), “women don’t fit in to the lifestyle associated with some types of work (35.2%) etc. E.g., The first ever lawsuit based on gender discrimination in employment was filed in 2012 The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 8

Age equality An overcorrection to the lifetime appointment practices of the Mao era--to open doors to younger people E.g., a story of a senior VP Age discrimination occurs in three contexts: hiring, promotion and retirement. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 9

Age Discrimination Hiring: Age discrimination in hiring is very common both in public agencies and private business. Anyone older than 40 will have a harder time getting a new job. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 10

Age Discrimination Promotion: Age is used as a cutoff or in a point system E.g., The group SVP or promotion of the public officials (45) The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 11

Age Discrimination Retirement: Mandatory retirement – the average retirement age is 56.1 (male, 58.3; female, 52.4) China doesn’t have formal legislation against age discrimination compared to other countries – The Age Discrimination in Employment Act in the United States The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 12

Appearance equality The Chinese people think it is perfectly acceptable to use appearance as a criterion in hiring decisions The first thing a potential employer will evaluate is an applicant’s face – E.g.,resume including the photo of the individual The aesthetics industry is thriving in China Many firms will only hire someone who is taller than a certain height. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 13

Road ahead The three forms of inequality described above will gradually recede. The public sector must lead the change. – Change internal hiring practices – Create appropriate legislation – Change public perceptions about what is normal and acceptable behavior. – Appearance discrimination can be eradicated quickly if the government makes it a focus. The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 12. Employment Equality 14