Workplace discrimination in China has been rampant in China and has aggravated during Xi Jinping’s rule, especially after the Covid pandemic. Now it is likely to get much worse thanks to the algorithmic biases in artificial intelligence-driven (AI) job hiring. Women have been hard-hit in China due to the prevalence of patriarchal values that consider them a tool to produce more babies to address the demographic crisis.
There is a strong suspicion that AI may supplement the gender and cultural biases in China when it comes to hiring. China-state-run newspaper Economic Daily warned of “algorithmic bias and discrimination” while selecting candidates as Beijing relies on path-breaking technology in its economic recovery. Women in China, particularly, newly married and pregnant ones are often subjected to workplace discrimination and job rejections.
AI integration in China favours business interest over the welfare of employees, which leads to the exploitation of workers, said Nikki Sun, a researcher at London-based Chatham House. “In China, where biases – particularly regarding gender and age – are deeply ingrained in the job market, AI often perpetuates these existing prejudices instead of mitigating them. For example, many job listings in China will specify preferred age ranges and gender, and women frequently face questions about their marital status,” she said.
The adoption of innovative technology of AI is meant to iron out gender and cultural discrimination. However, in China, it is working in the opposite direction. Baidu, Sogou and Qihoo 360 are Chinese search engines that showed images of men whenever words like ‘CEO’ or ‘engineer’ or ‘scientist’ were typed. On the other hand, responses to words like ‘women’ or ‘feminine’ were portrayed with materials of a sexual nature or female genders.
Women in China are set to be badly affected as AI is expected to disrupt 80 percent of women’s jobs worldwide, the latest study shows. Sun said AI-based recruitment systems in China use filters that are often discriminatory as personal information –not relevant to the job –is evaluated. “In China discrimination in many cases is intentionally
introduced by tailoring AI models to match employers’ preferences, which can amplify harms,” she said.
A study by Beijing-based researchers showed that female workers are more likely to be substituted by AI than male workers. “Women are more likely to be discriminated in the labour market than men in job search, promotion opportunities, and payment for labour. If the impact of AI is inevitable, reducing the discrimination against women is a must to prevent further gender gaps in labour market,” reads the study.
Gender discrimination, domestic violence, and infanticide are different ills that are deep-rooted in the patriarchal society of China. “The interplay of economic pressure and a long-standing patriarchal culture has fostered a strong conservative stance on gender issues, particularly among so-called incels. China’s anti-feminists often advocate for marriage based on ‘traditional morality’ and oppose feminist campaigns,” said Jiannan Luo, a doctoral researcher at Durham University.
While the Beijing government officially prohibited the practice of asking about job-aspiring candidates’ marital status, many companies continue to do so in the absence of concrete action or penalties, said Chinese feminist activist Lü Pin. “No employer has ever been revealed as receiving a penalty for non-compliance. Many institutional barriers stand in the way of women’s advancement, for example, gender discrimination in hiring is taken for granted,” she said.
Luo said while the Beijing government formally supports gender equality and formulated relevant policies, the reality on the ground is different. XI’s appeal to women to leave jobs and produce more babies did not go well. It was seen against the Mao era’s promise to end Confucian traditions that discriminated against women. Xi rather invoked Confucian values to back his appeal. It certainly added to the sentiments against gender equality in China.
About 90 percent of programmers in China are male and those working as algorithm engineers lack awareness about gender equality, said IT expert Kuang Kun. “Gender discrimination exists in algorithms because the data collected to train AI reflects the discrimination that exists in the human world, and because algorithm engineers lack awareness, they do not include solutions,” he said.
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