Image for illustrative purpose only. Credit: d3sign/Getty Images
Society ChinaFinally: More Rights for Women at Work Here
Passed and amended last year, China’s new law reducing gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace is now in effect, thus giving a fair chance for women to have a happier and healthier professional life.
Revised for the first time in three decades, China’s Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women now stipulates that the “state shall take necessary measures to promote gender equality, eliminate discrimination of all forms against women, and prohibit exclusion or restriction of women’s legitimate rights and interests.”
The process of job recruitment, admission, promotion, and dismissal has been revised. Concretely, employers must carry out the necessary changes to comply with the law’s requirements, including developing “detailed management measures to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace,” as explained by Chinese law firm CMS. Furthermore, rules and regulations prohibiting sexual harassment must be formulated, education and training activities to prevent and stop harassment must be carried out, and investigation and handling timely procedures that protect the privacy of the people concerned need to be established. Marriage and childbirth status are prohibited topics for female job applicants, health examinations must be set up for female employees, and pregnancy and maternity periods are no longer a reason to reduce salaries and benefits of female employees, or to terminate them.