Workplace Gender Discrimination in China: Comparative Legal Insights and Policy Pathways

Ke Liu

doi:10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT28697

Communications in Humanities ResearchOpen access

Workplace Gender Discrimination in China: Comparative Legal Insights and Policy Pathways

Research Article

Open Access

Workplace Gender Discrimination in China: Comparative Legal Insights and Policy Pathways

Ke Liu ^1*

¹ The University of Sydney

^*Corresponding author: kliu0523@uni.sydney.edu.au

Published on 28 October 2025

CHR Vol.93

ISSN (Print): 2753-7072

ISSN (Online): 2753-7064

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-483-0

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-484-7

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Abstract

Although there are already existing laws aimed at promoting equality, gender discrimination still widely exists in the Chinese workplace. Women face obvious barriers in recruitment, career promotion, pay, and workplace culture. These barriers reflect the economic and cultural bias based on gender that still exists in society. This paper explores this problem through a comparison of legal rules and empirical policy research. The analysis examines the limits of the current Chinese legal system and compares them with the framework of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act. This study also shows how weak legal institutions and policies combine with cultural factors to make gender inequality continue. This paper then proposes practical measures and policy suggestions to address this problem. This study uses research methods including legal text analysis, case study, and statistical data review, in order to find the patterns and causes of discrimination. The research results show that gender discrimination in the Chinese workplace mainly appears as recruitment bias, motherhood penalty, cultural stereotypes, sexual harassment and objectifying language, and pay gap. Based on these findings, this study proposes several countermeasures. These measures include improving anti-discrimination legislation, strengthening supervision and enforcement mechanisms, increasing corporate responsibility, making family-friendly policies, and promoting cultural change through education and publicity. The research shows that promoting gender equality is not only about fairness and justice, but also helps to improve labor market efficiency and promote sustainable economic growth in China.

Keywords:

workplace gender discrimination, gender equality policies, cultural transformation.

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References

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