Discrimination Against Mothers 'routine': Study

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2019-05-01 HKT 18:55

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  • SOCO says many low-income mothers have been told to their face they won't be hired because they have young kids. Photo courtesy of SOCO.

    SOCO says many low-income mothers have been told to their face they won't be hired because they have young kids. Photo courtesy of SOCO.

Sze Lai-shan speaks to RTHK's Candice Wong

A survey released on Wednesday suggests it's not uncommon for employers to discriminate against women from poor families because they have young children.

The Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) interviewed around 200 women from low-income families. It said 37 respondents said prospective employers have openly told them that they wouldn't be hired either because they need to take care of young children, or because they cannot work on Sundays as a result.

SOCO spokeswoman Sze Lai-shan said it's against the law to discriminate against people based on their family status, and urged the government to punish violators.

She also accused both the administration and the Equal Opportunities Commission of failing to enforce the law effectively, saying as a result, many companies don’t even think discrimination on such grounds is even an issue.

Sze urged the government to implement family-friendly policies to allow parents to both be able to work and take care of their children and take steps to increase child-care services.

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