Woman sues logistics firm for discrimination

A 25-year-old woman who sued a company for gender discrimination in hiring has brought gender issues into the public spotlight.

"I was furious, disappointed and sad when I was notified I was being rejected merely because I am a woman. The company recognized my ability but still turned me down due to my gender, which I am not able to change," the woman, using the alias Ma Hu, said.

Ma graduated from Northeast Normal University, a key university in Northeast China's Jilin province, and gained B.A. degree in art in 2014. She planned to experience something "fun and interesting" in her gap years and continue her study. Starting out as a waitress in a cafe, she applied to be a courier in September 2014.

"I don't like sitting in an office and I found that being a courier is fun. I like to meet different people every day," she said.

Ma worked as a courier for two days during a probation period at the company.

However, after accepting an oral offer, Ma later was rejected by the company because of her gender.

Ma sued the company for discrimination in September, 2014. She also started to pay attention to female employment issues.

Like Ma, more than 70 percent of women in China are not happy with China's gender equality situation, the latest survey revealed.

The survey, conducted by an online women's rights social media account, called "the voice of woman's rights", collected 3,094 responses.

By analyzing the data, the survey found women's gender equality attitudes in four areas, including education, recruitment and the marriage market.

More than 90 percent of respondents feel they have no freedom to choose when they should get married.

More than 94 percent of respondents think motherhood will harm their career development.

Many women like Ma are standing up to make sure their voices are heard.

In July, 2012, a group of 12 women calling for workplace equality demonstrated outside a Beijing company that has been accused of rejecting a job candidate because of her gender.

Now Ma calls human resources and social security departments every day and reports employers that advertise for "men only".

"I hope my voice will be heard by society," she said.