How Chinese women ‘hold up half the sky’ but earn far less than men
Being a woman in China hides a harsh workplace truth – they take home 22pc less than men on average
China celebrates International Women’s Day on Thursday, which falls on March 8 annually, with some e-commerce giants depicting women as “Queens”, insisting they should feel privileged to have born in the country, given its relative equality in lower-end pay levels.
However, a harsh truth hides the reality: Chinese women still earn less than men on average, and have to spend more time taking care of their families, which has become a major hurdle for them advancing at work, according to a recent survey by China’s major hiring website Zhaopin Limited, China’s equivalent of LinkedIn.
On average, women earn 22 per cent less than their male counterparts, says Zhaopin, after polling more than 100,000 employees earlier this year.
For entry- and low-level positions, the salary gap between women and men is relatively
small. However, as people are promoted to higher level positions, the gap between widens considerably, it said.
“Women’s dreams are still being restrained, their value being underestimated, and their potential being suppressed.” said Zhaopin in the survey.