How Does Women’s Rights Impact Workplaces in China?

It is probably hard for some people to believe, but in the world’s most populated nation men outnumber women. That’s right – in China, only 48.6 percent of the population is female.

As a result, this has been found to lead to certain imbalances in the workplace as women are not as present in that setting.

And, the negative consequences of fewer women are present in several aspects of daily life in China…

In fact, a 2012 report found that the gender imbalance of men versus women in China has contributed to rising crime rates, trafficking of women, and labor force growth.

The inequality subsequently has an impact on women’s rights, and in turn, those rights impact the workplace for women in China.

But, how exactly does this inequality impact the workplaces in China?

Authorities Are Threatened by Them

For years, Chinese authorities have actively been trying to prevent women’s ability to actively achieve their goals – meaning women face several additional challenges compared to men in the workplace. As a result, this makes success in the workplace harder for women – but that doesn’t mean they don’t still shoot for the stars.

In 2015, on International Women’s Day, police actually detained five women’s rights activists who were planning to raise awareness about sexual assault that takes place on public transportation.

But, why are the authorities so threatened by them?

They view them as an inconvenience. They simply do not want them to get in the way of other things they are trying to do as a society.

Women Are Repeatedly Abused and Harassed

As a result of the government trying to put these important issues of criminal acts against women on the back burner, they are becoming even more prevalent. Not only do women face sexual assault and sexual harassment on public transportation, but they are even being faced with these situations at work.

Women in China have reported just about anything from a lack of access to sanitary products during menstruation to receiving pornographic messages from co-workers. Furthermore, some have even reported being directly sexually propositioned on the job.

In a survey prepared by a Chinese NGO – which focused on women’s rights in the workplace – they found that over 70 percent of China’s female workforce admitted to facing some form of harassment in the workplace. Of those, 15 percent further reported that they had left a job because of sexual harassment in the workplace.

They Are Viewed as Property

Aside from the issues of being blatantly harassed in the workplace, the lack of women’s rights in the workplace in China is also demonstrated by the fact that they are viewed as property rather than as people.

This presents a huge professional challenge as they are not adequately moved up the ladder of success in the workplace. Rather, they are just viewed as objects who happen to be in the workplace.

Because all other areas of China view women as objects, they are not seen as an important part of a business. They are not valued as a vital aspect of the company’s success when it comes to appreciation in the workplace.

This issue also helps fuel the fire when it comes to the lack of appropriate action regarding sexual assault and harassment both in the workplace and outside of it.

Here is the Issue

The issue doesn’t lie within women’s rights in China, rather it lies in the lack of women’s rights in China. Because authorities and citizens do not view women as being as important and view them as more of a hindrance to their plans, rather than an asset, women are not treated equally.

Despite knowing that there are issues with women’s rights in the workplace, they would rather ignore them. This leads to women being harassed and even having to leave jobs. And, furthermore, this can be detrimental in several ways…

Dreading work, being harassed and interrupted at work, and even having to leave a job can put both an emotional and financial strain on a woman. In addition, it is also a hindrance to her career as she is having to leave a job that she might enjoy otherwise or have to list on her resume that she quit.

The lack of women’s rights in China in general and specifically in the workplace greatly negatively impact their work experience and their professional life as a whole. Despite the fact that there are fewer women in China than men does not cancel out the fact that they still deserve fair and equal treatment.

Despite their gender, everyone should be given fair opportunities in the workplace regardless of the part of the world they are in. It is vital to both their personal and professional advancement and success. However, these issues with women’s rights in the workplace in China right now hinder women rather than help them.

Steven is a writer and blogger at Cardzgroup. He lives in Los Angeles, California and enjoys spending time with his family and on his motorcycle when not writing. He can be reached at oneroadtorecovery@gmail.com