Workplace discrimination in China often begins with help-wanted ads.
Job recruitment websites routinely feature advertisements from prominent technology employers such as Alibaba Group Holding, Baidu and Tencent Holdings for positions that are open only to men, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch on Monday.
And the New York-based group said job discrimination against women takes other forms: Chinese companies often have requirements on the height, weight, voice or appearance of female applicants that have nothing to do with their qualifications for the job. With the three big internet companies boasting they have “beautiful girls” or “goddesses,” those ads contribute to widespread gender discrimination in the workplace, Human Rights Watch said.
“Sexual objectification of women — treating women as a mere object of sexual desire — is prevalent in Chinese job advertising,” the report said.
Human Rights Watch analyzed more than 36,000 advertisements, most of them posted since 2013, on corporate and government websites and social media platforms. Researchers looked for terms related to gender preferences such as “men only” and “suitable for women.”
A search of Alibaba’s website in January found “men only” or “men preferred” ads for jobs including government affairs senior specialist and crowd-sourcing delivery manager, according to the report. Human Rights Watch said the e-commerce giant’s recruitment social media account published photos of young female employees and described them as “l(fā)ate night benefits.”
A Tencent ad featured a male employee saying the presence of beautiful women was one reason he joined the company, and in a Baidu ad a male staff said having attractive female colleagues was one reason he was happy at work, Human Rights Watch said.
“There’s just a blatant objectification of these women,” said Executive Director Kenneth Roth at a press briefing in Hong Kong. “This creates a hostile work environment.”
In an emailed statement, Tencent said it has investigated the incidents and will make immediate changes. “We are sorry they occurred and we will take swift action to ensure they do not happen again,” it said. “Tencent values diverse backgrounds and recruits staff based on talent and ability.”
Baidu said it ”deeply” regrets what it described as “isolated instances” of job postings that didn’t align with its values, and that the company had removed those ads before the report was released. Baidu said women account for 45% of its employees, with mid- and senior positions reflecting a similar number.
Alibaba said it conducts regular reviews of recruitment ads and has “well-defined guidelines” on providing equal opportunities regardless of gender. It said 47% of the company’s employees are women and women leaders occupy one-third of its management positions.
