College grads use performance art to fight gender discrimination

Refraining from having children too soon and being able to drink vast quantities of alcohol are just two of the bizarre job requirements that have prevented many female Chinese college grads from nailing down jobs.

However, some graduates in east China's Zhejiang Province have been trying to tackle the problem by staging artistic public performances.

Li Shuangshuang, 23, and another dozen female college students staged a performance in mid-April at the entrance of a major recruitment hall in the city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, to raise awareness of the discrimination women face in the job market.

Holding up a large piece of cardboard plastered with job requirements such as "taller than 1.65 meters," "good drinker" and "no plans to marry soon," the women invited passersby to walk through a man-shaped hole cut in the middle of the cardboard.

"We are staging a performance, would you like to participate?" Li asked the onlookers. Li and her cohorts presented each participant with a single carnation to thank them for their help.

"It is indeed harder for women in the job market and I support their cause of fighting against gender discrimination," said one male participant.

Li, a student at Zhejiang International Studies University, organized the performance in Hangzhou, as well as other performances in Hubei and Shaanxi provinces. She said more performances in other locales are in the offing as well.

"I wouldn't know about the seriousness of gender discrimination if I wasn't about to graduate myself. One of my classmates was asked by a prospective employer to refrain from getting married or having children during her first three years of employment. Requirements for translators often say 'good-looking' or 'willing to drink at business meals,'" said Li Tiantian, a student who helped organize a performance in Hubei's capital of Wuhan and a senior at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

"The reason for staging the performances is to raise public awareness and end discrimination so that female graduates can enjoy a level playing field with men," Li Tiantian said.

The All-China Women's Federation surveyed female college grads and issued a corresponding report on female employment in 2011. The report said that 91.9 percent of the female students interviewed felt that they have faced some form of gender discrimination in the job market, while 56.7 percent said they believe that women have fewer opportunities than men in job-hunting.

The report also stated that 56.3 percent of female respondents have lowered their job expectations as a result of discrimination.

In addition to the straightforward "men only" requirement posted for some jobs, many women are worried about less obvious forms of discrimination.

"Seven of my classmates, six women and one man, applied for the same job. The man was no match for the girls in terms of academic performance and job experience, but he was the one who ended up being hired," said a student at Xiamen University who requested anonymity.

"Some employers do not tell us that they actually want men, so when I was rejected, I thought it was because I was not good enough, which was a major blow to my ego," Li Tiantian said.

The majority of students at some universities are women, contrary to the preference for males in the job market.

At universities that specialize in liberal arts, such as the Shanghai International Studies University, women enjoy an overwhelming majority of 80 percent. Even at comprehensive universities, the number of female students has begun to surpass that of men.

For example, female students accounted for 52 percent of the total students at Fudan University in 2006, the first time women outnumbered men at Fudan. The same thing happened at Nankai University in 2010.

Nationwide, official statistics show that the percentage of female college students increased from 23 percent in 1957 to 54 percent in 2008.

The fact that men have received more preference from potential employers, despite graduating in fewer numbers than women, has exacerbated already-fierce competition among women and created social divides.

After facing unfair treatment in the job market, some women feel that "landing a good job is less important than nailing a good husband, and attending recruitment fairs has become less important than going to matchmaking events," said Ma Yanna from the Beijing-based Yirenping Center, a non-governmental organization that specializes in gender equality.

"What is unacceptable is that most women tolerate gender discrimination. According to a survey we recently conducted, only 10 percent of respondents said they would consider complaining or suing their employers over discrimination," said Xia Yuan, a student at Xianyang Normal University and the organizer of one of the anti-discrimination performances in Shaanxi's capital of Xi'an.

"We are looking for a typical discrimination case that will allow us to file the first lawsuit on gender discrimination in China," Xia said.

Ma said the state should issue laws and regulations to protect women's rights.

"For example, employers should be required by law to have a certain proportion of women in their workforce. In terms of maternity leave and pay, I hope that the government can share the burden with companies so as to encourage them to hire more women," Ma said.