Companies in China that have forced new female employees to undergo pregnancy tests have been exposed by prosecutors. This was done to reduce the financial burden of maternity leave and other related costs.
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), on Tuesday, the Tongzhou District Prosecutor’s Office in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, received reports earlier this year about pre-employment pregnancy tests and investigated 16 companies involved. The prosecutors contacted the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and informed the companies and hospitals involved.
It has not yet been confirmed what fines or other penalties have been imposed on the related companies. In China, if workplace gender discrimination is not rectified, a fine of up to 50,000 yuan (roughly USD 7,000) can be imposed under labor law.
The prosecutor’s office has also begun investigating two hospitals and one physical examination center that conducted 168 pregnancy tests at the request of the companies involved. The prosecutor’s office confirmed additional evidence that the tests were performed to verify the pregnancy status of the female victims after examining the hiring and insurance records of the companies. A prosecutor’s office official explained, “At least in one case, a woman found to be pregnant was not hired, but after the prosecutor’s investigation, her employment was secured.”
China’s labor law explicitly prohibits companies from conducting pregnancy tests as part of pre-employment physical examinations, but it is reported that such incidents are common in the field. Many employers conduct pregnancy tests before hiring female job seekers due to the burden of maternity benefits. There are ongoing complaints about gender discrimination in various forms, such as not fully paying wages when workers are on maternity leave.
According to a survey conducted last year by the Workplace Gender Discrimination Survey Team, a volunteer group that improves gender equality in the workplace, men have a much greater advantage than women when applying for civil servant positions in China. Many public job announcements for national civil servant recruitment explicitly state male only or female only, openly practicing gender discrimination. Of about 40,000 job positions, 10,981 were allocated to men, while only 7,550 were allocated to women, with the rest not specifying gender.
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