Women have an equal role to play in social development and should not be made to retire as civil servants at the age of 55, five years earlier than their male counterparts, say some members of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. "Woman civil servants retiring at 55 is a terrible waste of human resources," says CPPCC member Ma Yanjun, who submitted a proposal, with 18 other members on Tuesday, to correct the imbalance.

"More woman civil servants are doctorates or have a master's degree. Which means they spend a longer time on education. This in turn means a shorter working life," she says.

On the other hand, even those "women who start work at the same age as their male counterparts get less pension because they have to retire at a younger age", says Yao Zhenwei, a member of the central committee of Jiu San Society, one of the eight non-Communist parties represented in the CPPCC and the National People's Congress (NPC). It's time this gender inequality was done away with and women's political and economic rights protected.

Women are equal to, if not better than, men in every field, Yao says. Even their average life expectancy is longer. So why should they retire early?

Gender discrimination follows women who even have university degrees, says Dalian Medicine University president and CPPCC member Tang Jianwu. About 48 percent female graduates face "serious gender discrimination" in the job market, Tang says, citing a recent survey that covered 745 graduates from 13 universities.

The sharp increase in supply of fresh college and university graduates and the limited jobs in the market have created more difficulties for women, he says. And even if a woman does find a job, her salary is generally less than that of her male colleagues.

But some government policies do favor women. Unfortunately only about 33 percent female graduates know about these policies, according to the survey, and nearly half have no confidence in them. That's why Tang has urged woman graduates to know about the policies and exploit them to the maximum to protect their rights.

(China Daily March 13, 2008)