No requirements for gender should be included in any recruitment plans or interviews, according to a document released on Thursday by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other eight government agencies.
According to the notice, it was forbidden to ask about the marital or fertility status of women candidates during interviews and pregnancy testing should be off the list of pre-employment health test, a news agency reported.
The document said that rule breakers will be fined from 10,000 yuan ($1,488.21) to 50,000 yuan if they refused to correct their practices. HR service providers may have their licenses revoked for serious offences, it added.
China will also build a sound mechanism to supervise employers and offer legal aid to women employees.
