Successful female business leaders will hold career counseling seminars with female students from six top universities in Shanghai to help teach them how to find jobs and compete with their male peers.

The program was initiated by Fudan University's Excellent Women Program and howcareer.com, a student-run career consultation Website.

Top female executives from companies that have taken in at least 50 million yuan (US$6.17 million) in revenues will be invited to share their experiences and offer face-to-face consulting for young female students.

The seminars will only be open to students who have entered at least their third year of university study, organizers said.

"Although women are advocated to enjoy the same rights as men, sexual discrimination, inevitably, exists in the job seeking process," said Tracy Wang, training director for the Excellent Women Program.

A recent survey conducted by the Shanghai Women's Federation indicated that nearly 56 percent of female university graduates in the city say they have faced sexual discrimination while searching for a job. Many say they aren't offered the same positions or salaries as male applicants.

The average starting salary for a female university graduate in Shanghai is 2,441 yuan, compared with 2,706 yuan for men, the survey said.

(Shanghai Daily November 1, 2005)