Gender?discrimination remains rife when Shanghai female
university graduates seek employment, according to a survey
published Sunday by the Shanghai Women's Federation.
Only 8.7 percent of female job applicants for civil servant
posts have been employed, lower than 11.7 percent of male
graduates.
The survey, which questioned 1,000 graduates from 10 local
universities, found that 21.7 percent of female graduates wished to
work in government agencies.
A female law postgraduate from Shanghai
University, who wished to remain anonymous, was even refused at
her last interview with a local court on the grounds of?gender
and age.
"Gender discrimination does exist, but in some places like
schools or hospitals, choosing more males is just for balancing the
proportion of men and women," said Lu Jianmin, director of the
federation's Women Study Center.
But 55.8 percent of female graduates surveyed said they were
discriminated against while seeking jobs.
A company said in its recruitment advertisement that applicants
must be able to play football, which would rule out female
graduates, the survey said.
Representatives of female graduates from 10 local universities
said at a panel discussion held by the federation that
discrimination is also reflected in salaries, with male graduates
having an average income of 2,706 yuan (US$330) and women receiving
2,441 yuan (US$300).
Most female graduates said?during the discussion that being
a graduate from a prestigious university, personal communication
skills and academic qualifications were also important when seeking
employment.
Female graduates from Fudan
University, one of the city's top academic institutions, for
example, are expected to earn an average monthly salary of 3,660
yuan (US$443), much higher than those from other universities.
But Lu said "it is often the case that women are discriminated
against in one place, but not in another place."
According to the survey, university students are still
considering Shanghai as the first place to start their career after
graduation.
More than 98 percent of graduates originally from Shanghai and
68.2 percent of Shanghai university graduates who are from other
provinces have listed the city as their most preferred place to
work, said Wan Renjiao, a professor from Shanghai Power College,
who helped conduct the survey.
"This is because they consider the city as a place that is
promising, full of opportunities and provides a rather high
income," Wan said.
Some graduates will go to cities in coastal Zhejiang,
Jiangsu
and Guangdong
provinces to work after they fail to seek jobs in Shanghai.
"The Yangtze River Delta, for example, is developing?at a
speed that no other places in the country can compare, which
provides a bright future for their career development," Wan
said.
According to the survey, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl
River Delta regions have received 92 percent of graduates from
Shanghai universities. Few graduates are willing to work in central
and western China.
(China Daily August 9, 2004)