Ageism is rampant in Chinese companies

Never mind the middle-aged; millennials beware

On March 5th China’s prime minister, Li Qiang, in his annual speech at the National People’s Congress (npc), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, promised to end “discrimination in the workplace”. He gave no specifics but Communist Party leaders, always alert to discontent in the workforce, have in recent years allowed more laws to protect workers. Since 2005 local governments have removed bans on hiring those with hiv or hepatitis b. The first sex-discrimination lawsuit was filed in 2012, and since 2023 companies found guilty of discrimination against women can be fined up to 50,000 yuan ($6,900). In 2020 the first transgender person won a discrimination case against an e-commerce firm in Beijing.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “The curse of 35”

From the March 22nd 2025 edition

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