Blind-box toymaker Pop Mart apologises for asking women if they will have children amid pushback on social media

Pop Mart, which popularised the blind-box toy craze in China, said its staff did not follow company policy when asking female applicants if they will have kids

Widespread criticism of the company on social media came the same week Beijing announced that families could now have three children, up from two

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A girl looks at blind boxes in a Pop Mart store in a shopping centre in Beijing on June 3. The toymaker caused a firestorm on social media this week when it was revealed that it had asked female job applicants about their plans to have children, for which the company apologised. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:00pm, 5 Jun 2021Updated: 11:25am, 18 Jun 2021

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart apologised on Friday for asking female job applicants about their plans to have children, drawing widespread criticism on social media the same week Beijing started allowing families to have three children to help address its ageing population.

The Hong Kong-listed company, which is based in Beijing, asked women during job interviews whether they plan to have children, and if so, when. This provoked a public outcry on the microblogging platform Weibo.

“Shame on you! Earning big money from female consumers while exploiting women,” said one Weibo user in a comment that racked up 40,000 likes.

“When men also get maternity leave, there will be less gender discrimination in the workplace,” said another user.

The company, which turned blind-box toys into a mainstream sensation in China, said some of its branches did not follow company policy when asking this question. The company’s management team has realised that it has some problems as a result of its fast development over the last few years, it added.