Do Chinese employers discriminate against females when hiring employees ?

In order to examine whether Chinese employers discriminated against females during the hiring process in 1996 and 2005, we used the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) questionnaire (1997 data, pooled data of 2004 and 2006) by referring to Johnson (1983) and Mohanty (1998). Empirical results of the 1996 sample reveal that male workers generally receive less favorable treatment and consequently enjoy a lower average employment probability than female workers. However, approximately a decade after the enactment of the labor law, the 2005 sample shows that male workers generally enjoy preferential treatment over female workers with otherwise identical worker characteristics. Our empirical results suggest that an increase in the education level of females, in the employment probability of females aged 25 and younger, and in the employment probability of females working in the government sector may prove effective in eliminating employment discrimination between males and females.