BEIJING, March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhaopin Limited
(NYSE: ZPIN) ("Zhaopin" or the "Company"), a leading career
platform1 in China
focused on connecting users with relevant job opportunities
throughout their career lifecycle, today released its "2017 Report
on the Current Situation of Chinese Women in the Workplace." The
report found that Chinese women still face gender discrimination in
employment opportunities and career development.
Zhaopin conducted its annual survey on women in the workplace to
understand the situation and environment for women in their
employment opportunities, promotions, career paths and goals. More
than 128,500 people participated in the survey this year.
Highlights of Zhaopin 2017 survey on women in the
workplace:
- About 22% of women experienced severe or very severe
discrimination when seeking employment, compared with 14% of
men.
- Better educated women were more likely to be discriminated
against when they applied for jobs. About 43% of women with
graduate degrees felt severe or very severe discrimination,
compared with only 18% of men with the same level of
education.
- In career development, 25% of women experienced severe or very
severe discrimination in promotions, compared with 18% of men.
- It took longer time for women to get promoted. About 59% of men
were promoted for the first time within two years of employment,
compared with 49% of women. Meanwhile, 44% of women never got
promoted, compared with 31% of men.
- As to barriers to promotions, women were more likely to
attribute the lack of promotion to personal reasons. About 40% of
women believed that they lacked the competence or experience
required for being promoted, compared with 32% of men.
- Leadership positions were still dominated by men in
China. About 72% of participants
had men as their direct supervisors, while only 28% had women as
supervisors.
Women still facing gender discrimination when seeking
employment
Gender discrimination against women has been an issue for a long
time. Even though the government and other organizations have been
making efforts to drive equality in the workplace, women still
experience severe gender discrimination in both their employment
opportunities and career development, Zhaopin survey found.
In the process of seeking employment, 22% of women experienced
severe or very severe discrimination, compared with 14% of men.
About 27% of men believed there was no, or almost no,
discrimination, compared with 18% of women, the survey found.
Gender
Discrimination When Seeking Employment
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Very
severe
|
3%
|
2%
|
3%
|
Severe
|
15%
|
12%
|
19%
|
Hard to
say
|
59%
|
60%
|
59%
|
Almost no
|
19%
|
22%
|
16%
|
No
|
4%
|
5%
|
2%
|
The gender discrimination experienced by women when they sought
employment varied with age, marital status and educational
background. Women aged 25 to 34 felt discrimination most
strongly.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Age When Seeking Employment
|
|
Age
21-24
|
Age
25-29
|
Age
30-34
|
Age
35-39
|
Age
40-44
|
Age
45-49
|
Over
50
|
Very
severe
|
2%
|
4%
|
4%
|
4%
|
2%
|
1%
|
4%
|
Severe
|
16%
|
21%
|
22%
|
18%
|
13%
|
16%
|
8%
|
Hard to
say
|
62%
|
58%
|
56%
|
57%
|
60%
|
60%
|
51%
|
Almost no
|
17%
|
15%
|
16%
|
18%
|
22%
|
21%
|
24%
|
No
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
3%
|
3%
|
14%
|
Married women without children were more likely to be
discriminated against when applying for employment because some
employers worried that they would have children after being
hired.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Marital Status When Seeking
Employment
|
|
Not
married
|
Married without
children
|
Married with
children
|
Very
severe
|
3%
|
6%
|
3%
|
Severe
|
19%
|
28%
|
17%
|
Hard to
say
|
60%
|
51%
|
60%
|
Almost no
|
16%
|
13%
|
19%
|
No
|
2%
|
2%
|
2%
|
Better educated women were more likely to be discriminated
against when they applied for jobs, the survey found. About 43% of
women with graduate degrees felt severe or very severe
discrimination, compared with only 18% of men with the same level
of education.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Education When Seeking Employment
|
|
High school/
equivalent
|
Associate
degree
|
Undergraduate
degree
|
Graduate
degree
|
|
Men
|
Women
|
Men
|
Women
|
Men
|
Women
|
Men
|
Women
|
Very
severe
|
4%
|
3%
|
2%
|
3%
|
2%
|
4%
|
2%
|
7%
|
Severe
|
10%
|
9%
|
11%
|
15%
|
12%
|
24%
|
16%
|
36%
|
Hard to
say
|
56%
|
61%
|
59%
|
62%
|
61%
|
57%
|
60%
|
48%
|
Almost no
|
22%
|
23%
|
23%
|
18%
|
21%
|
14%
|
17%
|
8%
|
No
|
7%
|
4%
|
5%
|
2%
|
4%
|
2%
|
5%
|
2%
|
Discrimination against women more palpable in
promotions
According to Zhaopin's survey, 25% of women experienced severe
or very severe discrimination in promotions, compared with 18% of
men. Meanwhile, about 26% of men said there was no, or almost no,
discrimination in promotions, compared with 19% of women.
Gender
Discrimination in Promotions
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Very
severe
|
4%
|
4%
|
4%
|
Severe
|
17%
|
14%
|
21%
|
Hard to
say
|
56%
|
56%
|
56%
|
Almost no
|
19%
|
21%
|
16%
|
No
|
4%
|
5%
|
3%
|
Women aged 25 to 34 are in a critical stage of their career
development, but they were also the groups who felt the most
intense discrimination in promotions.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Age in Promotions
|
|
Age
21-24
|
Age
25-29
|
Age
30-34
|
Age
35-39
|
Age
40-44
|
Age
45-49
|
Over
50
|
Very
severe
|
3%
|
5%
|
5%
|
5%
|
4%
|
4%
|
6%
|
Severe
|
18%
|
23%
|
23%
|
22%
|
18%
|
16%
|
6%
|
Hard to
say
|
59%
|
55%
|
52%
|
52%
|
55%
|
58%
|
51%
|
Almost no
|
17%
|
15%
|
16%
|
19%
|
19%
|
20%
|
22%
|
No
|
3%
|
3%
|
3%
|
2%
|
4%
|
3%
|
16%
|
In terms of marital status, married women without children
experienced more severe discrimination in promotions.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Marital Status in Promotions
|
|
Not
married
|
Married without
children
|
Married with
children
|
Very
severe
|
4%
|
6%
|
4%
|
Severe
|
21%
|
24%
|
21%
|
Hard to
say
|
57%
|
53%
|
54%
|
Almost no
|
16%
|
15%
|
18%
|
No
|
3%
|
3%
|
3%
|
As in the employment process, the better educated, the more
likely were women to be discriminated against in promotions. About
35% of women with graduate degrees felt severe or very severe
discrimination in promotions.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Education in Promotions
|
|
High
school/ equivalent
|
Associate
degree
|
Undergraduate
degree
|
Graduate
degree
|
Very
severe
|
4%
|
4%
|
5%
|
7%
|
Severe
|
15%
|
19%
|
24%
|
28%
|
Hard to
say
|
56%
|
57%
|
55%
|
51%
|
Almost no
|
21%
|
18%
|
14%
|
11%
|
No
|
5%
|
3%
|
2%
|
2%
|
For women in different positions, the higher level the positions
they had, the less discrimination they experienced in
promotions.
Women Experiencing
Discrimination by Positions in Promotions
|
|
Ordinary
employees
|
Professional
employees
|
Low-level
managers
|
Mid-level
managers
|
Senior-level
managers
|
Very
severe
|
4%
|
5%
|
4%
|
4%
|
4%
|
Severe
|
21%
|
27%
|
20%
|
19%
|
14%
|
Hard to
say
|
57%
|
52%
|
55%
|
51%
|
49%
|
Almost no
|
15%
|
14%
|
18%
|
22%
|
25%
|
No
|
2%
|
2%
|
3%
|
4%
|
7%
|
Zhaopin also found in its survey that it took a longer time for
women to get promoted. About 59% of men were promoted for the first
time within two years of employment, compared with 49% of women.
Meanwhile, 44% of women never got promoted, compared with 31% of
men.
Time Needed for
the First Promotion
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Never
promoted
|
37%
|
31%
|
44%
|
Within 1
year
|
29%
|
31%
|
27%
|
1-2 years
|
25%
|
28%
|
22%
|
3-5 years
|
8%
|
9%
|
6%
|
Over 5
years
|
1%
|
2%
|
1%
|
Women more prudent in the workplace
Zhaopin's survey indicated that women were more conservative in
seeking job opportunities. Women were much more likely to only
apply for positions for which they strongly matched the job
requirements, while men were more willing to apply even if they did
not match certain job requirements.
Job Applications
by Matching
|
Match with job
requirements
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Below 30%
|
5%
|
6%
|
4%
|
40% to 60%
|
37%
|
38%
|
35%
|
Over 70%
|
58%
|
56%
|
61%
|
Women were less confident in their career development and tended
to expect a longer time required for their next promotion, Zhaopin
found in the survey. About 65% of men had clear expectation for
their next promotion, compared with 59% of women. About 32% of
women had no idea about their next promotion, compared with 26% of
men.
Time Needed for
the Next Promotion
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Within 1
year
|
20%
|
21%
|
19%
|
1-2 years
|
34%
|
34%
|
33%
|
3-5 years
|
8%
|
9%
|
7%
|
Over 5
years
|
1%
|
1%
|
0%
|
Can't tell
|
29%
|
26%
|
32%
|
No hope
|
9%
|
9%
|
9%
|
As to barriers to promotions, the survey found clear differences
between women and men. Women were more likely to attribute lack of
promotion to personal reasons. About 40% of women believed that
they lacked the competence or experience required for being
promoted, compared with 32% of men. Meanwhile, men tended to blame
external factors, such as not being appreciated by their
supervisors, or losing a chance by transferring to a new
position.
Key Barriers to
Promotions
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Limited promotion
opportunities offered by companies
|
55%
|
55%
|
54%
|
Lack of competence
and experience
|
35%
|
32%
|
40%
|
Competition among
coworkers with equivalent qualifications
|
25%
|
25%
|
26%
|
Not
qualified
|
20%
|
20%
|
20%
|
Not appreciated by
manager
|
16%
|
18%
|
14%
|
Lost chance by
transferring to a new position
|
12%
|
13%
|
11%
|
Need more time with
family
|
12%
|
11%
|
12%
|
Hidden rules in
office
|
5%
|
6%
|
5%
|
Poor relationship
with coworkers
|
4%
|
5%
|
4%
|
Women believed that their biggest challenges in the workplace
were unclear career path and lack of professional guidance, while
men saw career transition as their biggest challenge, according to
Zhaopin's survey.
Key Challenges in
the Workplace
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Difficulty in career
transition
|
30%
|
32%
|
26%
|
Unclear career
path
|
29%
|
27%
|
31%
|
Lack of professional
guidance
|
28%
|
25%
|
31%
|
Need to keep
learning
|
27%
|
27%
|
27%
|
Lack of
resources/relationship
|
26%
|
27%
|
23%
|
Lack of chance and
time to improve skills
|
26%
|
26%
|
26%
|
No hope for
promotions
|
21%
|
22%
|
19%
|
Career
burnout
|
20%
|
19%
|
21%
|
Imbalance between
work and life
|
19%
|
22%
|
15%
|
Lack of self
confidence
|
17%
|
13%
|
21%
|
Others
|
1%
|
1%
|
1%
|
For future career development, more women chose to improve
personal value and strength, and take more challenging work, while
men gave more priority to extending relations and accumulating
resources, and being promoted to be a leader/manager.
Career Development
Priorities
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Improve personal
value and strength
|
51%
|
48%
|
56%
|
Take more challenging
work
|
47%
|
46%
|
50%
|
Extend relations and
accumulate resources
|
31%
|
33%
|
29%
|
Promote to
leader/manager
|
30%
|
32%
|
26%
|
Clear career
path
|
28%
|
26%
|
32%
|
Realize financial
freedom
|
21%
|
19%
|
25%
|
Give more priority to
family
|
21%
|
23%
|
19%
|
Improve skills to
become an expert
|
19%
|
24%
|
13%
|
Become a
freelancer
|
5%
|
5%
|
4%
|
Fewer women in leadership roles
Zhaopin found in the survey that the leadership positions were
still dominated by men in China.
About 72% of participants had men as their supervisors, and only
28% had women as their supervisors.
Leadership
Positions by Gender
|
Men as
leaders
|
72%
|
Women as
leaders
|
28%
|
Both men and women had consistent opinions on characteristics of
successful women, the survey found. The top characteristics of
successful women were influencing others with positive values,
loving themselves and caring about others, having their own
attitude in lives, and respectful personality and charisma. Each
characteristic is measured at 1 to 5, with 5 as the most
valued.
Characteristics of
Successful Women
|
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
Influencing others
with positive values
|
4.40
|
4.27
|
4.58
|
Loving themselves and
caring about others
|
4.40
|
4.28
|
4.55
|
Having their own
attitude in lives
|
4.31
|
4.17
|
4.49
|
Respectful
personality and charisma
|
4.31
|
4.17
|
4.49
|
Happy family
life
|
4.19
|
4.08
|
4.35
|
Responsibility and
empathy
|
4.12
|
3.98
|
4.30
|
Achievement in her
professional field
|
3.95
|
3.77
|
4.19
|
Married with an
excellent partner
|
3.66
|
3.49
|
3.89
|
Social
influence/status
|
3.58
|
3.46
|
3.75
|
About Zhaopin Limited
Zhaopin is a leading career platform in China, focusing on connecting users with
relevant job opportunities throughout their career lifecycle. The
Company's zhaopin.com website is the most popular career platform
in China as measured by average
daily unique visitors in each of the 12 months ended December 31, 2016, number of registered users as
of December 31, 2016 and number of
unique customers2 for the three months ended
December 31, 2016. The Company's over
129.5 million registered users include diverse and educated job
seekers who are at various stages of their careers and are in
demand by employers as a result of the general shortage of skilled
and educated workers in China. In
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016,
approximately 36.9 million job postings3 were placed on
Zhaopin's platform by 509,813 unique customers including
multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises and
state-owned entities. The quality and quantity of Zhaopin's users
and the resumes in the Company's database attract an increasing
number of customers. This in turn leads to more users turning to
Zhaopin as their primary recruitment and career- related services
provider, creating strong network effects and significant entry
barriers for potential competitors. For more information, please
visit http://www.zhaopin.com.
Safe Harbor Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made
under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements can be identified by terminology such as "will,"
"expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes,"
"estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Zhaopin may also
make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports
filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases
and other written materials and in oral statements made by its
officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements
that are not historical facts, including statements about Zhaopin's
beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that
involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the
following: Zhaopin's goals and strategies; its future business
development, financial condition and results of operations; its
ability to retain and grow its user and customer base for its
online career platform; the growth of, and trends in, the markets
for its services in China; the
demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services;
competition in its industry in China; its ability to maintain the network
infrastructure necessary to operate its website and mobile
applications; relevant government policies and regulations relating
to the corporate structure, business and industry; and its ability
to protect its users' information and adequately address privacy
concerns. Further information regarding these and other risks,
uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information
provided in this press release is current as of the date of the
press release, and Zhaopin does not undertake any obligation to
update such information, except as required under applicable
law.
For more information, please contact:
Zhaopin Limited
Ms. Daisy Wang
Investor Relations
ir@zhaopin.com.cn
ICR Beijing
Mr. Edmond Lococo
Phone: +86 10 6583-7510
Edmond.Lococo@icrinc.com
1. Zhaopin's website is the
most popular career platform in China as measured by average daily unique
visitors in each of the 12 months ended December 31, 2016, the number of registered users
as of December 31, 2016 and the
number of unique customers for the three months ended December 31, 2016.
2. A "unique customer" refers
to a customer that purchases the Company's online recruitment
services during a specified period. Zhaopin makes adjustments for
multiple purchases by the same customer to avoid double counting.
Each customer is assigned a unique identification number in the
Company's information management system. Affiliates and branches of
a given customer may, under certain circumstances, be counted as
separate unique customers.
3. Zhaopin calculates the number of
job postings by counting the number of newly placed job postings
during each respective period. Job postings that were placed prior
to a specified period - even if available during such period - are
not counted as job postings for such period. Any particular job
posting placed on the Company's website may include more than one
job opening or position.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zhaopin-chinese-women-still-facing-discrimination-in-workplace-300418204.html
SOURCE Zhaopin Limited